Ataraxia
by Aielli
Summary: Finally! A Remus-centric romance set in the MWPP-era which doesn't involve Hermione, a time-turner or Slash. What it does contain is RemusOC, some SiriusOC, romantic musical chairs and the odd reference to Monty Python :-).
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.   
  
  


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Chapter One   
  


Transfiguration class seemed to drag on indefinitely, and the fly trapped between the window pane and screen insisted on flying about, trying to escape. This created an intermittent, but more importantly, annoying buzzing noise. It was a lazy Autumn afternoon in a Sixth year class at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, circa 1976. The class could've easily been divided into two very distinct groups- those who enjoyed Transfiguration and found it useful and those who had given up on it after second year and were only present due to necessity. It would be a surprise to no one concerned, that in a double class of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors, the Ravenclaws made up most of the former and Gryffindors the latter, except, of course, for a few rogue individuals. 

This cannot be said of Darwin Moore, a Gryffindor who felt she was doing her duty to her house by not paying attention to the lesson and instead electing to gaze out the classroom windows at the lake. Well, that was her excuse anyway. 

She wondered, not for the first time, when the apparent hell on earth would end and idly considered sneaking out. She had been sitting with her head propped in her hand for so long that her cheekbone was beginning to get sore. It was the last class of the day and the thick, gray stockings that the girls were forced to wear were making her legs itch and sweat. She couldn't wait to change into something less ridiculous. 

Soon after these thoughts surfaced in her mind, she began to consider why students were even made to wear uniforms at all and was well on her way to deeming Hogwarts fascist when she was brought out of her reverie by a shove to the shoulder. 

She glanced up angrily, only to see the charming face of her childhood friend, Sirius Black, staring back down at her. 

"Class is over, if you wanted to know. That is of course, unless you wanted to stay." he said with a laugh.

"Get a life." Darwin said sarcastically, but was betrayed by the laugh in her eyes. She truly did adore Sirius, no matter what she said.

As the other students began to file out of the classroom, Darwin quickly shoved her quill and parchments into her bag and stood to leave. 

Then it happened.

It wasn't the first time, and definitely wouldn't be the last. It was that all too familiar trickling feeling between her legs. 

Shit.

Her period had a history of showing up when it was least wanted, and this was one of those times. She had completely forgotten it was coming up and presently found herself rather unprepared. 

She hastily made her way out into the hall, accidentally bumping into a willowy Ravenclaw in the process. 

" Hey Dar, you coming with?" Called Sirius, indicating the Great Hall. She glanced over in his direction. She could see the retreating forms of Remus Lupin, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew moving down the hallway and made a mental note to tell James that no one expects the Spanish Inquisition! This was because they shared a mutual love of all things Monty Python. Which owed to the fact that both had some Muggle parentage. James had his mother while both of Darwin's parents were Muggles and each had been exposed to the silliness since it first debuted in 1969. She also reminded herself to get the five Galleons Peter owed her. 

"No, Siri, I've got to do something first, but I'll see you at supper." She said in a rush. She could feel her underwear becoming uncomfortably wet as they began to get soaked with blood. 

" And what," there was an emphatic waggle of his eyebrows "Is it that you have to do so urgently?"He finished suggestively. 

She let out a sigh.

"If you ask me one more time, I swear I'll tell you in detail."

His insinuating, suggestive countenance was quickly exchanged for one of avoidance at all costs.

"Alright, I'm out, see you later." He gave her a quick, traditional, peck on the cheek and raced off to catch up with the others. 

Finally. 

She quickly found her way to the nearest girls' bathroom, and after a tentative peek to ensure that there was nothing unpleasant in the toilet bowl, locked herself into the third stall. She was in the middle of remedying her current problem, much preferring the Muggle solution over the Wizard one, when she heard the bathroom door swing open, a swish of robes and the hurried footsteps of black, polished shoes clacking against the cold stone floor. 

"Did you just see that?!" Squealed an excited female voice. 

"I can't believe! He's like, the most popular boy in school!" Answered another female voice, however, this one was only half as irritating as the first. 

"Sirius Black winked at me! Maybe this means he wants be to be his girlfriend...." Said the first voice, with, what Darwin found to be, surprising seriousness. 

She rolled her eyes. That was Sirius for you, a born ladies man. He was always at it- winking, giving sly smiles and in general, just being his charming self.

It was quite evident by her naivete, and the fact that she was capable of such a high-pitched squeal, that the girl that was probably already planning her and Sirius' wedding, was young. Very young. She had to be, in order to fall for any of Black's charm. That, or she was very stupid. 

This was not the first time Darwin had seen girls go completely starry eyed and weak kneed over Sirius, and probably wouldn't the last. No, scratch that, definitely wouldn't be the last. Sirius had absolutely, positively no trouble making girls swoon and getting them into bed. It always made her pitifully laugh whenever she saw girls fall for his charms. Probably because she could see right through them. She knew Sirius for who he truly was and she also knew that whenever he would lay on his charm, it only meant he was after one thing - sex. 

He had quite a long, colourful history of using girls and then tossing them aside, all dating back to near the end of his fourth year, when he had lost his virginity to a girl in sixth year. This was quite a feat and it had caused him to earn the admiration and respect of every male he knew and some he didn't. Since then, he had kept that tradition, of continually impressing his fellow males with his conquests.

It was because of this that Sirius had never been able to maintain a long-term relationship, and it wasn't for lack of trying. It was always the same, he would find a new girl that interested him and commit himself completely, that is until his eyes began to wonder about three weeks later. Darwin had to give him credit though, once he was able to last an entire month with the same girl, that is until he swore off monogamy all together, only to try his hand valiantly at it again two weeks later. 

Having known Sirius all her life, Darwin was quite used to his exploits. At one point, she had futilely tried to convince him to conduct himself in more admirable and respectable fashion. This inevitably provoked him to counter that how he was acting was admirable and would she like to come upstairs and have a tour of his bedroom? She concluded that he was a born ladies man and would die a ladies man and since then, had conceded to turn a blind eye to his stunts.

She finished her business in the bathroom stall and went to wash her hands. When the girls saw her, a sudden hush fell over them, and all that could be heard was the cold water splashing against the porcelain of the sink. 

Ditz number one cleared her throat. 

"You're Darwin Moore, aren't you?" She asked, but was unable to keep the attitude out of her voice. 

"That depends on who's asking." Darwin replied simply. This girl was an obvious spoiled brat, which complimented her idiocy nicely, and Darwin could feel herself getting dumber ever second she spent in the girl's presence. 

The girl gave both an exaggerated, and annoyed sigh.

"My name's Ashley, not that it's any of your business." She said with extreme impertinence. "Look, are you friends with Sirius Black or not?" 

This girl's rudeness was starting to get on Darwin's nerves. Darwin glanced over at her, utter contempt in her eyes. The insolent girl who went by the name of Ashley appeared as though she had spent hours on her hair and Darwin supposed that had she wanted to, she could've scrapped three inches of makeup off the girl's face no problem. 

"What's it to you?" She spat back. She had always been somewhat protective of Sirius, although she would never admit that to anyone. Besides, it wasn't as if he needed protection anyway. 

"I want to know if he has a girlfriend." She said with over- confidence, laced with conceit.

Darwin made a grand gesture of rolling her eyes and muttered "Spare me" under her breath.

She made to leave the bathroom when she heard Ditz number two speak up for the first time since the whole encounter had begun.

"Ugh, what a bitch." She said, her voice dripping with attitude and contempt. 

Darwin stopped momentarily in her tracks, but then decided that any sort of confrontation would be utterly pointless and continued on her way to the Great Hall.

On her way there, she stopped to talk to one of the portraits on the wall near one of the Prefect's bathroom. The portrait was of Napoleon Bonaparte, despot extraordinaire and Emperor of France, post- revolution. Over her years at Hogwarts, Darwin had come to greatly enjoy speaking with him as he was incredibly interesting and intriguing, not mention, also apt to give very good, albeit at times a little over zealous, advice. His appeal was only slightly lessened by the fact that he was located near a bathroom.

"Good afternoon, Mademoiselle. How does the lady fare?" He asked as soon as he spotted her, walking somewhat dejectedly down the hall. 

" Alright, I suppose. I've been better." She replied with a half smile.

"Indeed. Tell me, what is the cause of these melancholy feelings." The very Italian-looking Frenchmen said with a very appealing mix of charisma and concern. 

"Just some trouble with some ignorant people." She said, not really wanting to explain what happened and risk turning a molehill into a mountain. 

"My dear lady! You must reconsider your feelings pertaining to this situation. When dealing with ignorant people, it is most admirable and will afford most pleasingly to your success, because it is so simple to gain the upper-hand." He told her with conviction and a valiant wave of his fist. " You must learn to seize power when it's reign is within your grasp."He said with his ever present thick Corsican accent. 

Darwin gave a little giggle, thanked him for his advice and bade him farewell. Then she continued on the very familiar trek to the Great Hall. 

When she reached it, she found that the Hall was just as cavernous as ever, with the ever present draft colder than usual. She spotted her friends, who were sitting about halfway down the Gryffindor table, easily. They had a knack for sticking out in a crowd. More precisely, James Potter had a knack for making himself and all those around him stand out in a crowd.. 

Even from her vantage point, Darwin could see that James was very animated about something, occasionally banging his fist down on the table and his deep rolling laugh could be heard throughout the hall. Sirius was laughing along with him, obviously contributing to the occurring banter, while Remus Lupin had a slight smile on his pale face and Peter Pettigrew looked preoccupied and was gazing off at something on the other side of the Hall. Lily Evans sat next to James and appeared as though she couldn't help herself from giggling mindlessly. James had that effect on most girls. At any other time, when James wasn't around, Lily tended to be, in Darwin's opinion, very eloquent and smart in matters of academics. However, somewhat lacking in the areas of common sense and practicality. 

Ah, the familiarity and comfort of a group of friends with great chemistry. At times, life, indeed, was good. 

Darwin plopped down in between Remus and Sirius and was almost immediately confronted by James.

"Well, well, well, look who decides to show up. Is it because my mother's a Muggle? That's it, isn't it. You hate me for it. You're avoiding me because of it and are embarrassed to be seen with me." He said with mock seriousness and sarcasm. 

"James, get a life. BOTH of my parents are Muggles." Darwin said, slightly patronizing. 

This sent James into another spout of rolling laughter. Darwin had never met someone who laughed so genuinely and so often in her entire life. James had a love of life that was unparalleled and was, without a doubt, the single most charismatic, person Darwin had ever met and would probably ever meet. He could befriend and put at ease anyone, anywhere, no matter what their disposition was. While Sirius was the most popular with the female population of Hogwarts, James was unquestionably the most popular student in the school. Everyone, male and female, loved him, in a platonic way, of course. He was a mama's boy at heart, capable of arguing any side of any argument with genuine intelligence and conviction and he was also an excellent cook. He had to be- he ate like a horse, yet didn't gain a pound, but still insisted on being particular about what he ate. 

"Hey James," Darwin called across the table. James was called out of his attempt to try and convince Lily that he had twelve middle names and that on his birth certificate, his entire name was suffixed by "the Third".

"Hey Darwin." He mockingly called back.

"How are you?" She asked with pretend concern.

"Fine." 

"How's your mother?" She asked.

"Good." He replied.

"What are you doing this weekend?" She asked.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" She replied, pretending to be shocked.

"Well," He paused and gave a big grin. "I wasn't expecting some sort of Spanish Inquisition."

Darwin dramatically cleared her throat.

"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

This brought on another spout of laughter from James.

"I don't like Spam!" He replied, completing the tradition they shared of constantly swapping Monty Python quotations.. 

She heard Sirius sigh at her side. 

"I don't know what you two get out of watching that show. It makes absolutely no sense." He said. Sirius' father was a Muggle so the concept of a television was not completely foreign to him. He had been exposed to Flying Circus by Darwin and James in their attempt to make the world a sillier place. 

Darwin just laughed.

"It makes a lot of sense, you just can't appreciate the genius that is Monty Python."

"That, or I wasn't dropped on my head as a child and still have a significant amount of functioning brain cells." He said with a laugh. 

She gave him a playful punch to his ribs.

"Oh Siri!" Darwin exclaimed. "I nearly forgot. It would appear as though there's been an addition to your fan club." 

"Is it that really effeminate guy in Hufflepuff? You know, the one that carries a mirror with him wherever he goes and wears lip gloss?" Peter cut in excitedly. He really did have a great sense of humour, thought Darwin, it was such a shame he was so ambitious at heart.

"You're one to talk, Pete. At least Sirius has got SOMEONE who likes him. No shame in the love coming from a poof. " This was from James, and of course, his odd mix of benevolence and lack of political correctness was not absent. 

Lily gave a giggle. 

"James is right. Maybe this is the beginning of a new era for Sirius. I always suspected he'd become gay out of sheer boredom." 

"Leave Sirius alone, all of you. " Remus cut in, scoldingly. 

"Remus, my savior!" Sirius chimed.

" I'm sure this is a very difficult time for him, "Remus continued on. "It's bound to be, as he discovers all the new, confusing feelings he harbours toward other men." Remus finished with a laugh.

"Moony, I don't believe it! You've turned on me too!" Sirius cried, feigning despair. "All of you can just naff off, for all I care." He said jokingly. "In all seriousness, who is this new admirer of mine?" Sirius asked, interested, turning toward Darwin.

She let out a sigh.

"She's in Ravenclaw. A fifth year, I believe. Just some little snobby, spoiled brat. "

"You mean some fine, easily attainable piece of tail." Sirius patronizingly corrected. 

"Oh, get over yourself."  


Exactly two weeks later, while on her way to the library, Darwin spotted Ashley, the Ravenclaw, with a red face and streaming eyes, surrounded by three other girls who she assumed were her closest confidants. She could hear the three girls speaking in soothing voices and comforting their friend. It was very obvious to Darwin what had happened, Ashley had become another notch on Sirius' bedpost and had now been discarded. She was about say "I told you so", when she remembered that she had never warned this one of the pitfalls of Sirius Black, and just as quickly, put the entire affair out of her mind and indifferently carried on her way to the library.  
  
  
  


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A/N: Some reviews would be really nice. I hope everyone who is reading this is enjoying it so far :-)


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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Chapter Two   
  


  
  


It was in the late fall of that year, near the end of October, that things began to happen. When the leaves of the trees were just beginning to fall, the weather began to get colder, and seeing scarves of the House colours wrapped around the necks of students became more and more frequent, the first inklings that something was terribly wrong began to reach Hogwart's.   


A man by the name of Tom Riddle had graduated from Hogwarts in the summer of 1944. After doing so, he promptly murdered his father and grandparents and then disappeared into obscurity. It wasn't until roughly 1970 that the ambiguous Riddle, who had simply started out as a disgruntled former student of Hogwart's with a lot of fanatic, radical ideas, began to gain notoriety. It was in 1970 that Riddle began to act on his personal vendetta against all those Witches and Wizards of non-pure blood. These acts against non-pure bloods were fairly small in their scope and it wasn't until 1975 that Tom Marvolo Riddle, now known as Lord Voldemort, began to attract supporters. These supporters hailed from the Giant community, and, much worse, the Wizarding community. They came to be known as the Death Eaters.   
  
There had always been the obscure, extremist belief within the Wizarding community that only those of pure, untainted Wizarding blood were true Witches or Wizards and hence, were the only ones trustworthy enough to study and practice magic. This belief dated all the way back to when Salazar Slytherin had first parted ways with the three other founders of Hogwart's and his prejudice had been kept alive, albeit sparsely, ever since. People of this line of thinking also believed that people who happened to be born a Witch or Wizard but had two Muggle parents, usually known as Mudbloods, should be shunned completely. This belief had always been considered very radical and antiquated and had always hung around the periphery of the Magical community. Most often, it was just ignored by the mainstream and only found support, and very rarely at that, with those of longstanding Wizard heritage. It wasn't until now that the belief was beginning to gain notoriety and support.   
  
Hogwart's soon found itself flooded with rumours concerning the dealings of shady characters and suspected Death Eaters and their possible connections to the rising evil. The rumours ranged from the disturbing to the absolutely absurd. Of course, there was also much talk of the old standard, the Chamber of Secrets, which was a room within the castle that was rumoured to be home to a monster. Supposedly, the chamber was created by Salazar Syltherin before he quitted the school. It could only be re-opened when his true heir returned to the school to "unleash the horror within" and rid the school of all those who were of Muggle parentage and unworthy to study magic. It was also rumoured that Chamber had been opened twenty years prior, but of course, as the existence of the Chamber was not even certain, rumours of it having been opened were even less substantiated.  


Just as the rumours varied greatly, in their believability and substance, so did the reactions of those at the school. The Professors did their duty and assured all those willingly to listen that there was absolutely nothing to worry about and that they should not bother to concern themselves with such unfounded nonsense. Most of the students elected to listen to the rumours, but, for the most part, pay them no mind and pass them on, if they felt so inclined. Others, specifically meaning James, decided that it was a great opportunity to increase the confusion and atmosphere of disorder already present within the school. He did sol by transforming every rumour he heard into something utterly ridiculous and then passing it on to everyone he possibly could. For example, he turned the rumour that there was a small contingent of Voldemort's followers hiding in Hogsmeade and were planning.....something, into some far-flung hearsay about a bunch of disgruntled, kilt-wearing Irishmen, who had just recently developed an allegiance to Voldemort and were planning to break into the castle in order steal all the socks they could find.   
It was also learned at this time just how gullible some of the students of the school could be. Besides believing every word James Potter said, some students became truly, deeply afraid and would walk around the castle in groups and be in the common rooms before dark every night. These were also the people who were most responsible for spreading, and at times, exaggerating the rumours. Although, for the most part, that was left up to James.   
  
Then of course there were those at Hogwart's who became truly worried and alarmed. Not because they feared for their safety, not all, it was because they feared their family ties to Voldemort would be discovered. In the proceeding weeks, these students became very withdrawn and defensive and most of them, unsurprisingly, resided in Slytherin House.   
  
And then there was Sirius. He opted for a much more practical approach to the entire affair.   
  
"It's Snape, I just know it." He stated flatly at breakfast one morning. "The greasy git's the Heir of Slytherin."   
  
There was a collective groan in response to this.   
  
Sirius looked incredulous.  


"James, wouldn't you say it's at least a possibility?" He asked.  
  
James let out a sigh.  
  
"Look, I despise him just as much as you do, but really, the Heir of Slytherin? I highly doubt it. He's just not the type."He replied, and for all intensive purposes, actually sounded like he knew what he was talking about.   
  
"What do you mean, 'not the type'? He fits the mold perfectly. Conniving, scheming, sly-"  
  
"Don't forget ugly." James cut in. The way James saw things, if he exceeded anyone in anything, be it their looks or their Quidditch skills, it gave him the right to expound their shortcomings.   
  
"- and, right, ugly. "Sirius finished. He glared across the hall at Severus Snape, sitting at the Slytherin table, his lip twitching slightly.   
  
"If you're not careful, Sirius, your face will get stuck like that." Darwin stated with the air of a patronizing mother speaking to a particularly problematic child, barely looking up from her breakfast.   


Sirius only scoffed.   
  
"You know Sirius, "Lily began, laying a hand on his forearm. "Just because you don't like him, doesn't necessarily mean he's evil. He could be a true sweetie at heart, helping old ladies cross streets and such."  
  
Darwin glanced across the hall at Severus Snape. He looked particularly venomous today, and on his face he wore his seemingly permanent sneer. He was one mean looking, ugly son of a bitch and Darwin supposed that any old lady in her right mind would prefer to take her chances crossing a street alone than let Snape anywhere near her.   
  
"I highly doubt that." Sirius said with confidence, quickly removing Lily's hand from his arm. " Keep your icicles to yourself." He said with a smile.   
  
Lily's hands and feet were constantly ice cold, regardless of the climate, and the cause of which was often theorized whenever boredom abounded or conversation came to a lull. Hilarity would almost always ensue.  
  
Darwin was somewhat removed this morning, electing to listen quietly to the others chatter on around her while she ate her breakfast in near silence.  


Their group of friends usually consisted of the Marauders, as James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were known throughout the school, Lily and Darwin. There was also the occasional addition of Geoffrey Parks, Peter's good friend in Slytherin who spat when he talked and had a greasy complection, Sloan Chapman, Darwin and Lily's friend in Ravenclaw, or any one of James' seemingly endless acquaintances.   
  
On this morning, the usual six were joined by Mr. Parks and he did not disappoint. As always, he spat when he spoke and there was an oily look to his face. This was much to the chagrin of all present, except Peter, who seemed willing to forgive his friend's obvious shortcomings. This especially perturbed Darwin, who found herself seated right next to the detestable Parks.   
  
"If I were in charge." Parks began, adjusting his ridiculously thick glasses, "I would have all those even remotely connected to the Death Eaters or You-Know-Who killed. No exceptions."  
  
As he spoke, little bits of spittle flew from his mouth and on to Darwin's robes. She made a big show of wiping them off, hoping Parks would notice. But it was to no avail. Not only was he obnoxious, he was oblivious as well.   
  
Darwin noticed Parks jab his fork into one of the many sausages piled on his plate. She disgustedly watched him take a large bite of sausage and then carry on talking.   
  
"The Ministry should take serious action. It's the only way to ensure that safety within the Wizarding community is maintained." His voice was slightly muffled by the sausage there, but this didn't appear to concern him.   


He continued to rant on, no one listening except Peter. As he spoke, more saliva flew from his mouth and onto Darwin's robes, only now, there were bits of sausage mixed in with it.   
  
Darwin abruptly stood to leave, her appetite quite ruined. As she did so, she chanced to glance up, and met the eyes of Remus Lupin. His eyes were pale to match his pale complexion, and they were staring directly at her. The eye contact lasted for a mere moment. Remus hastily looked away, slightly embarrassed.   
  
As she left the Hall, a small smile graced Darwin' lips that no one saw.   
  
  
  


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A/N: I know this chapter was short and boring, but the story will pick up really soon, I swear. 


	3. Chapter Three

Discalimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

  
  


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A/N: This chapter has not been beta-read, so if you see any grammar or spelling mistakes, please just ignore them. :-)

  
  


Chapter Three

  
  
  
  


Unlike everyone she knew, Darwin had not been born in England. Rather, she was Canadian by birth. Her father, Ronald Moore, had been born in Ontario, the son of British immigrants, and had later moved to Montreal. There he had met his future wife, a French-Canadian woman by the name of Marie Cartier. The now Marie Moore had given birth to her first and only child on October 9th, 1960. The happy parents had elected to name their child after Charles Darwin. The decision was decidedly that of her fathers, as he was a great admirer of said scientist. He was an adamant supporter of British Imperialism and the school of thought known as Social Darwinism. However, had he analyzed Darwin's works closer, he would have discovered that Darwin never actually applied his theories to society and that perhaps he owed his admiration to a man named Herbert Spencer instead. But, he never did this and so, the Moore's named their daughter Darwin. 

  
  


Darwin experienced a very happy childhood in Canada, although there was very little of it which she remembered now. She could remember the cold winters and the mountains of snow they brought. She could remember the busy atmosphere of Montreal and the sounds of both French and English being spoken. She could remember the warm summers spent playing in the backyard or on the front porch, the sounds of music drifting outside from the kitchen. 

  
  


Life in Canada for the Moores came to an abrupt end in 1964. Ever since the French had lost the Seven Year's War and New France, what is now Quebec, ceased to exist in 1763, French-English relations within the country had been poor. Presently, the relationship between the French and the English gone from bad to worse and the issue very quickly became violent. The Front de Libération du Québec, more commonly known as the FLQ, was a separatist movement based in Quebec. Quebec was the only Canadian province with a formidable French-speaking population and wished to separate from the other provinces because they felt their language and culture was being threatened by English-speaking Canada. This dispute between French and English Canada would eventually culminate in the October Crisis. 

  
  


So, Ronald Moore packed up his family and moved to England where he still had several relatives. They settled down in London where they bought a nice, two-storey house in a respectable neighborhood. This is where Darwin first met Sirius Black. The Black family lived next-door to the Moores and in the months following their arrival, the Moores found the Blacks to be most hospitable and welcoming. It was on a warm day in July that Darwin actually met Sirius for the first time. Prior to that day, she had been told that the Black's had a two sons and that one of them was her age. She hadn't taken much interest in this as, at the time, she was throughly convinced that all boys had cooties.

  
  


She had been in her backyard that fateful day, reflecting on how she liked her old backyard much better. It had been bigger, with more trees, and there had been no brick wall surrounding it. Although she had to concede that this backyard was much prettier. It had more flowers and the large, twisted oak, that actually stood in the Black's yard but whose branches hung over the Moore's, cast an awesome shadow over the lawn. 

  
  


She had been picking a bouquet of flowers for her mother when she saw a head of scruffy black hair appear above the brick wall. The head was followed by the scrawny body of a young boy. The boy was climbing the oak in the Black's yard. He edged his way carefully out on to the largest branch overhanging the Moore's yard and then, with surprising agility, jumped from the end of the branch to the ledge of the wall.

  
  


Darwin watched him, dumbfounded. She didn't want to say anything to the boy. After arriving in England, she found that the voices of the indigenous people sounded very strange. At times, their voices sounded so strange that she couldn't even understand what they were saying. Whenever this happened, she always felt very embarrassed and awkward, and had by now developed an avoidance to anyone she suspected would speak in the manner she found so difficult to understand. 

  
  


The boy silently regarded her from his perch atop the brick wall. Then, in one very fluid motion, he placed one of his hands on the wall's ledge and then swung himself down onto the ground. He landed with a thump.

  
  


For a moment, the two stood directly opposite each other, each staring intently at the other. 

  
  


The boy was skinny and his knees were scabbed. His hair was a mess and he had dirt all over his hands and face. This contrasted greatly with Darwin's prim and tidy appearance. She wore a flower print sun-dress and her hair was tied back in pigtails. 

  
  


"Hi." The boy said tentatively.

  
  


"Hi." Darwin replied shyly.

  
  


"What's your name?" The boy asked.

  
  


"Why should I tell you?" Darwin retorted.

  
  


The boy shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

  
  


"You talk funny." He told her, looking almost apologetic. 

  
  


"I do not. You're the one that talks funny." She countered quickly.

  
  


"Do not!"

  
  


"Do to!"

  
  


A moment of silence passed between them. The boy absent-mindedly dug the toe of his shoe into the ground, while Darwin pulled at the petals of the flowers she was holding. 

  
  


"I'm Sirius." The boy said, breaking the silence. 

  
  


"About what?" Darwin asked. 

  
  


"What do you mean?" The boy asked, confused.

  
  


"What are you serious about?" Darwin asked him again. 

  
  


"Nothing." The boy said. "Sirius is my name."

  
  


"That's silly." Darwin stated with all the conviction someone of her age could muster.

"Well, let's hear your name then." Sirius countered, sounding defensive.

  
  


Darwin hesitated for a moment. Did she really want this serious-boy, with his dirty face and scabby knees, to know her name?

  
  


"My name's Darwin." She replied after a moment.

  
  


Sirius seemed to consider this for a moment. It appeared to Darwin that he might be trying to think up a way to make fun of her name. When he found none, he looked her up and down, considering her.

  
  


Finally, he said "Want to come see a toad I trapped?"

  
  


"Okay."

  
  


That was the beginning of the friendship shared by Sirius Black and Darwin Moore. Since that fateful meeting, the two were nearly inseparable. They formed an all- encompassing friendship in which they spent almost every waking moment together. Admittedly, the two formed a rather odd pair from an outsider's point of view. Beyond the fact that they were of different sexes, their personalities and interests differed greatly as well. Sirius loved to play outdoors and delighted in spiting his mother in getting his clean clothes dirty whenever he could. He loved to catch bugs and climb trees, and would always drag Darwin along to take part in his adventures. She didn't mind all that much, although, she did have a particularly strong avoidance to spiders. Sirius was loud and outgoing and was adored by all the adults he met. Darwin, on the other hand, was much quieter and more reserved in everything she did. She was a very shy young girl, who felt uncomfortable in the company of strangers. She loved to do artistic things, such as paint and draw, and she also enjoyed reading. Her parents had read to her all her life, so naturally, she had developed a liking for it early on. At times, she would even read stories to Sirius. He would always ask to hear stories about sword fights, evil villains and fearless heroes. Oddly enough, it was habit the pair had continued beyond childhood and had eventually become tradition. Although by the time they reached their sixth year at Hogwarts, the stories had progressed from simple fairytales to renowned literature. Most recently, Darwin had read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to Sirius. He had been most surprised to discover that Frankenstein was not the name of the monster but that of the monster's creator and that the poor monster didn't even have a name. 

  
  


Despite all their differences, Sirius and Darwin became the best of friends. Sirius helped Darwin adjust to life in England and became a bastion of security for her in otherwise difficult times. Darwin came to spend a lot of time in the Black home, and from the moment she first everted the house through the double front doors, she loved it. 

  
  


Upon entering the Black home, one immediately got the sense that it was very old. It had a smell that reminded Darwin of a library. The polished wooden floors creaked whenever they were walked upon and all the lights gave off a soft yellow glow. Upon the walls hung innumerable paintings, all encased in thick, gold-plated frames. All the furniture looked like it belonged in an antique store and scattered throughout the house were pretty porcelain and glass figurines. Darwin loved the quite atmosphere of the house and loved to just sit in the Black's living room, watching particles of dust float around in the bars of light which came through the windows.

  
  


She also loved the fact that Mr. Black had a large collection of books in his study. There were shelves upon shelves of books, their spines all dusty and worn. Once he had learned of Darwin's love for reading, he had offered her unlimited access to his personal library. He had especially encouraged her to read literature concerning her namesake, Charles Darwin. 

  
  


Mr. Black was a tall, thin, scholarly man who wore classes and always had something interesting to say. He always wore somewhat formal attire and spoke with an undeniably rich accent. Mrs. Black was a short woman with black hair that matched her son's. She was quick-witted and absolutely loved to laughed. She was very kind and every time Darwin visited the Black home, which was quite often, Mrs. Black would always have some sort of treat waiting. Darwin would eventually come to be very fond of Mr. and Mrs. Black.

  
  


Another reason Darwin was so drawn to the Black home was because of the air of mystery and oddness that existed within the house. On several occasions, there were occurrences that seemed to defy the conventions of the world she knew. Afterward, when she questioned what had happened, she would always be adamantly assured by Mr. and Mrs. Black that everything she had seen had simply been her mind playing tricks on her. But Darwin was always quite she sure that what she had seen had been real. For example, one day, while playing hide-and-go-seek with Sirius on the upper floor of the house, something most unusual had occurred. It was her turn to hide, and she was frantic to find a place to conceal herself. Sirius obviously had the advantage, as it was his home, and Darwin was desperate to find a nook that he did not know of. She knew if she was caught, it would result in an arduous session of tickling and she was very ticklish. 

  
  


She had quickly scampered down the hallway leading to the bedrooms, the sound of Sirius counting aloud diminishing as she went. She neared the end of the hall, and stopped. On her left, the door to the upstairs bathroom, and on the right hung a large painting of a young boy wearing a scruffy blue tail-coat and a beat up top hat. She had looked around frantically, not wanting to enter the bedroom she knew to be that of Sirius' parents, and yet not wanting to get caught standing in the hallway. She could hear her time dwindling down and she was becoming more and more frantic. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move, and spun to her right, facing the painting of the boy. At first, she thought it was Sirius, cheating. But she was wrong. The painting, it was moving. More specifically, the boy in the painting was moving. He had his hands clasped behind his back and was rocking back on forth on his heels.

  
  


"Why don't you try hiding in the bathroom closet, love? He'll never think to look there." The boy in the portrait had said in a thick cockney accent.

  
  


As soon as the words left his mouth, Darwin promptly screamed and ran in the other direction. Mr. Black found her crying fifteen minutes later, cowering in his study. 

  
  


A strange look had crossed his face when she informed him of what had happened but he had assured her that the painting couldn't have moved and that she must have imagined it. He had even brought her back to look at the portrait again. Sirius came with them out of boredom and as they approached the painting, Darwin grasped his hand tightly. Sirius didn't mind. 

  
  


When they reached the portrait, Mr. Black said

  
  


"See, nothing to fear here. It's just a normal painting."

  
  


After a few moments of inspection, Darwin concluded that Mr. Black was right and that she really did just imagine what she saw. 

  
  


Mr. Black began to walk back down the hall, with Sirius and Darwin, still holding hands, in toe, and the promises of fresh cookies in the kitchen. 

  
  


On impulse, Darwin glanced over her shoulder while the painting was still visible. She was sure that what she saw was as real as the clothes she wore and Sirius' hand in hers. The boy in the portrait gave her a cheeky grin and a big wink before becoming still again. Darwin gave a little gasp and then hurried down the rest of the hall, dragging Sirius along with her. 

  
  


This was not an isolated incident. On another occasion, Darwin had wondered into the Black's kitchen, wanting to place the glasses she and Sirius had drank from in the sink. Upon entering the kitchen, she had become mesmerized by the sight of the dishes which seemed to be cleaning themselves. A frying pan hung suspended in the air above the sick and a pink sponge was running along it's sides, cleaning it. She had moved closer to the sink, her eyes fixated on the floating frying pan. She soundlessly placed the two glasses in the sink, and took the opportunity to closely inspect the frying pan. There was nothing holding it up, however, it was promptly dropped back into the sick once the sponge had cleaned it. No sooner had the frying returned to the sudsy water, than small pot rose out of the water. The sponge promptly began to clean the pot, and again, there was nothing holding it up.

  
  


Without a word, Darwin slowly backed out of the kitchen, keeping her eyes trained on the sink. She never mentioned the incident to anyone. Darwin had noticed that after the episode with the moving portrait, Mr. and Mrs. Black had seemed angry with each for a few days hence, and Sirius had been rather dejected as well. Darwin did not know why, but this caused her to feel rather guilty.She did not want to cause any trouble in the Black household and so she didn't say anything. 

  
  


Sirius and Darwin passed a relatively happy childhood, interrupted only by the odd marital spat between Sirius' parents and the odd phases of insecurity that, at times, gripped Darwin and made her self-conscious and depressed. They attended school together and were able to maintain their very strong friendship with surprising ease. Sirius watched out for Darwin, as he was the most popular and toughest student in their year, and Darwin helped him with his homework

. 

When they were ten years old, they briefly explored the romantic possibilities between them. They had been sitting in Sirius' bedroom and Darwin had been reading aloud. Sirius' room had been characteristically messy, with clothes strewn everywhere in piles and the occasional school book poking out from beneath the piles. His room was very normal and typical of a ten year old, except for one thing. On the ledge above the clothes rack in the closet, there lay a very sleek looking broom. When Darwin had asked Sirius about it, he had replied that it had been a birthday present. Of course, Darwin found this extremely odd. What sort of a ten year old boy wants a broom for his birthday? Still, she elected not to push the issue and had never inquired about it again. 

  
  


Returning to the fleeting romantic encounter, Darwin had presently finished reading the story and Sirius regarded her with a rather strange countenance. 

  
  


"What?"Darwin asked slowly.

  
  


A moment of silence passed.

  
  


"Can I kiss you?" Sirius asked straightforwardly.

  
  


"What!?" Darwin exclaimed, shocked. 

  
  


Sirius was unfazed.

  
  


"I saw some people doing it yesterday in the park. It looked really fun." He supplied.

  
  


Darwin regarded him for a moment.

  
  


"Really? It looked fun?" She asked warily.

  
  


"Yeah. They were smiling and laughing."

  
  


Darwin considered this new information. If it had been any other boy, she would've said no immediately because she was still firmly convinced that they all had cooties. But, considering it was Sirius, she supposed it would be alright.

  
  


"Okay. I guess so." She said finally.

  
  


Sirius gave a cheeky grin and scouted next to her. 

  
  


"Okay, you have to close your eyes." He told.

  
  


She wordlessly complied and waited. Instead of feeling his lips on hers, she felt their noses collide. 

  
  


"Ouch!" She cried, rubbing her nose. "You're not very good at this, are you?" She asked

.

"Well, you can't really expect to be, can you? I've never done this before."

  
  


"Oh, let me do it. Close your eyes." She commanded.

  
  


He did so, but not before rolling them first.

  
  


Darwin waited a moment, and then leaned forward and placed her lips on his. She waited a few seconds and then moved back.

  
  


Sirius opened his eyes and looked at her.

  
  


"Yuck." He said simply.

  
  


"I agree." She replied with the same simplicity. 

  
  


"I'll just kiss you in the cheek from now on." He told her, walking over to the window with the intent of opening it. 

  
  


"Why?" She asked.

  
  


"Simple. That's what all gentlemen do."

"You're no gentleman!"

  
  


"Are too!"

  
  


"Are not!"

  
  


Sirius stuck to what he said and made a tradition out of kissing Darwin's cheek. Their relationship would remain platonic for many years to come. 

  
  


It was a year plus two days that Darwin received her letter. She and Sirius had been sitting in her backyard, in the shade of the Oak Sirius had climbed the first day they met. It was a warm, lazy afternoon and neither felt like doing much. They sat in a comfortable silence, Sirius idly watching a grasshopper on the lawn, and Darwin staring toward the sky. 

  
  


In the distance, she could two little black dots contrasting starkly with the light sky. At first, she thought nothing of them, but as they got progressively larger, she realized they were birds. They got larger and larger and she came to the realization that they were owls. This was very odd indeed. Didn't owls sleep during the day? She brought this to Sirius' attention, but only received a cheeky, knowing grin in return. 

  
  


The owls continued their flight, and it appeared as though they were heading straight toward where Sirius and Darwin were sitting. Darwin noticed that each of the owls seemed to be carrying something within their talons. She glanced over at Sirius to try and determine if he thought the sight was strange as well. However, he had gone back to watching the grasshopper and seemed completely uninterested in the owls. 

  
  


Just as they were passing overhead, they owls released the objects they were carrying and Sirius deftly caught them. They appeared to be letters. Sirius seemed momentarily confused, he seemed to consider one of the letters for a moment. Then he looked Darwin straight in the eye and gave the biggest grin ever.

  
  


"This one's for you." He said, barely able to control the happiness in his voice.

Darwin looked suspiciously from Sirius' face, to the letter and then back to his face again. His expression never changed. 

  
  


"I can't believe it." He said happily. "I just can't believe it! Hear, read it." Another big smile.

  
  


She tentatively took the letter from his hand, and as she did so, Sirius picked up the other letter and excitedly opened it. The envelope was thick and had a yellowish colour to it. On the front she could read her name and address written in emerald green ink. She opened the letter slowly, not knowing what to expect and she read:

  
  


HOGWARTS SCHOOL 

of WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY 

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc.,Chf. Warlock, 

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

  
  


Dear Ms. Moore,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted

at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please

find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no

later than July 31st. 

  
  


Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

  
  


She had to read the letter twice before she could even begin to comprehend what she was reading. She looked up at Sirius who was expectantly staring back at her.

  
  


"Well?"He asked.

  
  


"Well what? I don't understand what it means." She said, confused. 

  
  


Sirius took the letter from her hand and read it quickly. 

  
  


"You've gotten accepted too! This is fantastic. I never would've guessed." He said, thoughtfully.

  
  


"Guessed what?" She asked.

  
  


"Well, that you were a witch, of course." He said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

  
  


"I certainly am not!"

  
  


"Yes, you are. Why else would you have been accepted into Hogwarts?"

  
  


"I'm not sure......"She said as she continued to try and process the information. "If you've been accepted too, that would have to mean that you're a Wizard, right?." She said after a moment.

  
  


As it turned out, Sirius' mother was a Witch who came from a very old Wizarding family, which explained all the odd things Darwin had seen in the Black household over the years. The Blacks had elected to live in the Muggle world because they figured it would just make life easier. In the Muggle world, it would be relatively easy to conceal the fact that Mrs. Black was a Witch. However, in the Magical world, it would be near impossible to conceal the fact that Mr. Black was a Muggle and the Wizarding community wasn't exactly known for it's open-mindedness or trusting nature. Over the years, the Black's contact with the Wizarding world had somewhat diminished and Sirius had very little practical knowledge of it.

  
  


Sirius had been hoping to go to Hogwarts as long as he could remember. Her mother had gone there and he had been told about the school all his life. Darwin was slightly offended by the fact that in all the time she had known him, Sirius had kept such a big secret from her. All things considered though, she supposed it made a lot of sense that Sirius hadn't told her. She probably wouldn't have believed him anyway. 

  
  


With the help of Mr. and Mrs. Black, it was relatively easy for Darwin's parents the accept her magical abilities and just as easy for her to attain their permission to attend the school. The experience of moving from the Muggle world to the Wizard world brought the two friends even closer, if that was possible. Darwin knew nothing of the Wizarding world and Sirius knew very little, so they were forced to cling to each other out of familiarity. It was just an added bonus when they were both sorted into Gryffindor House. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

A/N: I know this chapter was kind of long and boring, but I think it was necessary. Kudos to anyone who has read this far. :-) 


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.   


* * *

A/N: As before, this chapter has not been beta-read, so if you see any mistake, just ignore them :-)   
  


Chapter Four

  
  
  
  


Watching Sirius zoom around the Quidditch pitch, performing perilous maneuvers and powerfully whacking the Buldgers in all directions made Darwin very nervous. It was the first game of the season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, and originally, Darwin had not planned to attend. It was shaping up to be a beautiful weekend and there were several other things she would've preferred to spend her time doing. There was no doubt about it, Quidditch was a very dangerous game and watching Sirius, and James and Remus for that matter, voluntarily put themselves in harm's way all for the sake of sport was incredibly nerve wracking. Every time one of them dived or ducked a Bludger, she could feel her stomach automatically lurch and her throat constrict. She would always refuse to go to the games for fear of acting like an overprotective mother, but every time, her resolve would fail and she would go. Mostly because she had the completely unfounded notion that if she were in attendance, for reasons unbeknownst to her, she would be able to prevent them from getting hurt. 

While watching from one of the stands surrounding the pitch, Darwin, accompanied by Lily, was forcing herself to feign impassivity. Lily was practically spellbound, watching every move James made. Darwin had the dubious suspicion that Lily had a crush on James, but Lily refused to confirm or deny this. As such, Lily was quite oblivious to her friend's ceaseless wringing of her hands in her lap.

  
  


James was the team's seeker and their darling. It was because of James that nearly every student, including those in Slytherin, turned up for the games in which Gryffindor was playing. He was able to translate his irresistible personality into extremely entertaining Quidditch. He would constantly perform death-defying stunts and be an all around crowd pleaser while still keeping an eye for the snitch. Sirius was one of the team's Beaters and being able to bash fast moving Bludgers at other people suited him just fine. All the girls in the crowd swooned every time he did pretty much anything. Darwin personally thought that at times, Sirius just had it too easy. Then there was Remus. He was one of the team's three Chasers and very modest about it. He didn't perform any unnecessary stunts and played to win. He was good at what he did, and many times, was largely responsible for the team's wins. He would always accept praise from other students with a shy smile and a slight blush and was quite willing to let the other team members have the spotlight. The team was testosterone incarnate and made practically all the girls in the school wish they could be a fly on the wall in their dressing room.

  
  


On this particular occasion, Darwin was forced to abandon all pretense of indifference and nonchalance as a Bludger flew dangerously close to James. So close in fact, that it made his Quiditch robes ruffle as it flew past them and caused him to momentarily lose balance on his broom. Once he regained his balance, he gave the thumbs-up to the crowd and was off in search of the snitch. 

  
  


Darwin glanced over at Lily and it appeared as though she were on the verge of having a heart attack. 

  
  


"Oh, I wish he'd be more careful!" She exclaimed, clutching her hands together in front of her chest.

  
  


"Why Lily? Do you have a particular reason for being so interested in the welfare of our dear Mr. Potter?" Darwin asked with a sly grin, momentarily forgetting her own worry.

  
  


"No, I just don't want him to get hurt. That's all. Honest." She stressed this last word with a warning glance. Lily hated to be asked about her feelings towards James. She was very shy and reserved in all things concerning members of the opposite sex and Darwin knew it. 

  
  


"Oh, yeah right. You probably want to marry him tomorrow and have about a million of his babies!" Darwin joked, momentarily lapsing into immaturity. 

  
  


Lily's face turned a deep shade of red at the prospect of having sex with James, causing Darwin to laugh uproariously.

  
  


"Oh, leave me alone." She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. 

  
  


This only made Darwin howl louder. She promptly began making kissing noises, which soon lapsed into a rather good impression of Lily adamantly professing her love for James. 

  
  


The red colour of Lily's face only deepened, which sent Darwin into another loud spout of laughter. She had completely forgotten about the game, and her loud laughter was drawing rather annoyed looks from all of the students sitting around her and Lily. It also drew the attention of one who wasn't sitting near them, he was, in fact, riding a broom. 

  
  


Remus Lupin had come to a stop in mid-air, about ten feet away from the stand in which Lily and Darwin were sitting. 

  
  


Immediately, one of the Gryffindor Quidditch fanatics sitting in the stand jumped up and yelled:

  
  


"You git! There's a game going on, if you hadn't noticed!"

  
  


Remus just ignored him. He was looking at Darwin with a shy countenance and a bashful, silly smile. Darwin found herself returning the same goofy grin, and she mouthed the word "Hi" and gave a little wave. 

  
  


Lily dubiously observed the scene.

  
  


"Who wants to have million babies now?" She asked sarcastically. However, she received no reply. 

  
  


Of all the people she considered to be her good friends, Darwin knew the least about Remus. Apparently, he had been a very pale, sickly child and he was now a very pale, although not very sickly, adolescent. He was a shy boy, who kept to himself, and seemingly enjoyed to read. He came from a very old Wizarding family and both his parents were pure-bloods. He only really spoke to people he knew well, and when he did, he always had something interesting to say. He did incredibly well in his school work and it appeared to all those who knew him that he didn't even need to put forth a considerable effort to achieve success. He was also strikingly handsome. He looked the way one supposed Louis XIV might have looked. 

  
  


Of course, this made every girl in the school notice him. A countless number of girls had pursued him, from every House and every clique, and he had rebuffed them all. He always said that it wasn't anything personal, he just wasn't interested. This made him the resident enigma as far the majority of the female populace were concerned. While dating Sirius was a definite symbol of a girl's social status, dating Remus would be the pinnacle of success and social stature. Although, Remus seemed quite unconcerned with what the females at the school thought of him and was content to while his hours away in the library or with his friends on the Quidditch pitch. Remus was the voice of reason within the Marauders, calming James and Sirius when they got too out of hand and easing Peter in his sometimes over-zealous beliefs. Darwin had the suspicion that he was the embodiment of the saying, "Still waters run deep." 

  
  


However, presently, Remus was still giving Darwin a shy smile when suddenly, a Bludger came from behind and connected directly with his right arm. He had no time to react and was immediately thrown from his broomstick. He began to plummet toward the ground at an alarming pace, and was only scooped onto Sirius' broom in the nick of time.

  
  


A hush fell over the crowd and the members of both Quidditch teams immediately stopped playing to see what had happened. Sirius had landed and Remus was seated on the ground, clutching his arm to his chest. James was at his friend's side in a flash, and it was one of those rare occasions where he appeared to be serious. 

  
  


From her vantage point, Darwin could see Madam Pomfrey, who was always in attendance at the Quidditch games for just such an occasion, rush out onto the pitch. She knelt down next to Remus and appeared to inspect his injured limb. She then helped him to his feet and escorted him off the pitch, presumably to take him up to the Hospital Wing in the school. 

  
  


About five minutes later, the game resumed, with a reserve player playing Remus' position. Prior to Remus' accident, the Gryffindor team had been easily winning. They could fly faster, maneuver quicker, hit harder and worked as one cohesive unit. But with Remus gone, the team's spirit was deflated and Ravenclaw very quickly caught up. In the end, Gryffindor was flattened by Ravenclaw, losing 130 points to 260 points. 

  
  
  
  


Later that evening in the Gryffindor Common Room, there still existed a rather subdued atmosphere. Lily and Darwin had been working on some Charms homework when they had been joined by James, Sirius and Peter. Apparently, the boys had tried to get into the Hospital Wing to see Remus but Madam Pomfrey had refused, saying he needed his rest. She had assured them that Remus was fine and that his arm had been properly mended, though. 

  
  


Having known Sirius for such a long time, Darwin could easily tell that he was in a rather dejected mood and so she elected to let him be. He could be a real pain in the arse when he was in a foul mood, and she had discovered that trying to get him to talk about what was bothering him was futile. That, and she herself didn't feel much like talking either. She found that she felt rather guilty about what had happened to Remus, as though it were partially her fault. 

  
  


Darwin saw James glance around at their circle of friends and she could practically see the wheels turning in his head. James hated to see people downcast and usually took it upon himself to bring some happiness into the world. 

  
  


"Hey, everybody. Don't look so putout." He began, drawing everyone's attention to him. "So our friend got his arm smashed, he's fine now. So we lost the game, we'll win the next one." He stopped to think for a moment. "Who's up for a game of Exploding Snap?"

  
  


Everyone thankfully agreed to this, and soon, everything was back to normal. James was laughing almost non-stop, Sirius was ceaselessly, but innocently, flirting with Lily and Darwin, and Peter was doing some homework. 

  
  


After the game of Exploding Snap was finished, Sirius challenged Lily to a game of Wizard's Chess which she readily accepted. The two had an odd battle of the sexes going on that never seemed to end. Peter sat next to Sirius, providing him with the occasional piece of advice. Although this didn't seem to intimidate Lily one bit and it appeared as though she would be able to win the game easily, like always. 

  
  


Darwin sat on an over-stuffed sofa adjacent to her friends and she watched them absentmindedly. Ever since the accident on the Quidditch pitch had happened earlier that day, it was all she could think about. She kept seeing the bashful smile on Remus' face change in an instant to a painful grimace. Her mind kept replying the moment when the Bludger hit his right arm and his elbow bend in an odd way. Perhaps if she had yelled to him to pay attention to the game he wouldn't have to spend the night in the hospital wing. But then she remembered that cute smile on his face and the way he had looked so utterly charming and adorable. She couldn't have yelled to him to get back in the game even if she had wanted, and as she remembered, she hadn't wanted him to. 

  
  


She had never really considered Remus as anything more than a friend. Even now, she still didn't. Besides the fact that he had never shown even the slightest interest in her as more than a friend, Remus didn't really seem like the dating type. Darwin could never recall Remus ever having a girlfriend, or even mentioning that he fancied a girl. He always just seemed completely uninterested in the entire business and was resigned to dole out advice to his friends when they ran into romantic troubles. This had always seemed to Darwin very odd, as it was likely Remus could have dated any girl in the school. At times, it seemed like every girl in the school had a thing for him. Many of the first year girls would develop crushes on him and giggle and blush every time they saw him. He was always inclined to smile at these admirers cordially whenever he saw them, causing more blushing and giggling. On the other end of the spectrum, many of the seventh years appeared to think that it wasn't at all below their standards to date him, even if he was sixth year. However, he would treat the seventh year girls in the same manner as the first years, always polite but never interested. 

  
  


Now, of course, this gave some girls the idea that Remus might be gay, and Darwin was no exception. However, after first entertaining this idea, Darwin quickly came to the conclusion that it just wasn't possible. Just as he had never shown any interest in females, he had never shown any interest in males either. Besides, Remus was always willing to admit when a girl was pretty. 

  
  


While in the midst of considering the possible reasons for Remus' attitude towards girls, Darwin suddenly found herself face to face with James. 

  
  


"Darwin, Darwin, Darwin," he began, saying it as though he found her incredibly disappointing. "What did you think you were doing? Distracting our Chaser with your radiance, and such."

  
  


"I did nothing of the sort!" She replied, aghast.

  
  


"And I suppose he just stopped to wave because he thought his wrist needed some exercise?" James joked.

  
  


"Honestly, I don't know why he stopped." She told him, hoping James might be able to supply the reason for Remus' actions.

A mischievous look passed over James' face. 

  
  


"Well, here's an idea. Why don't you go talk to him and find out?"

  
  


Darwin sputtered for a moment, trying to verbalize all the reasons why that would be impossible at the same time.

  
  


"I can't. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let you two into and I doubt she'd let me in." Good, she thought to herself. That's better than telling him you'll feel awkward going to see him. 

  
  


"The only reason she wouldn't let us in is because she knows us too well. She probably knew that we were planning to bust him out of there, but she would never suspect you of something like that. Come in," He said, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her out of her seat.

  
  


"Off you go." He began to push her toward the portrait hole. 

"But....but....I-" She sputtered.

  
  


"No more excuses. Go apologize for what you did."

  
  


Darwin snapped her head around to face James. 

  
  


"Apologize? For what?" She demanded. 

  
  


James gave her a cheeky grin. 

  
  


"Only joking."

  
  


Just before Darwin turned to face forward again, she caught a glimpse of Sirius over James' shoulder. It seemed as though his foul mood had returned. He was sitting on the couch with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at James' back. This was quickly pushed out of Darwin's mind as she snapped her head back around and found herself at the portrait hole. 

  
  


James pushed the portrait open for her and she climbed out. James was just about to pull the portrait closed again when Darwin stopped him.

  
  


"Wait, James, why I am doing this again?" She asked, slightly confused.

  
  


"Because you want to make sure he's okay."

  
  


"But Madam Pomfrey already said he was okay."

  
  


"Well, you're double checking then."

  
  


"James, that doesn't-"

  
  


But the portrait was already closed. The Fat Lady who resided in the portrait had apparently gone off somewhere, so Darwin resigned herself to visiting the Hospital Wing. While on her way there, she couldn't help but feel a little awkward about going to visit Remus. Sure, she considered him a friend, but they had never really been very close. She thought that it might seem a little odd that she was going to visit him, while his best friends weren't. Although admittedly, it wasn't for a lack of trying.

  
  


The staircases were in an accommodating mood that evening, so she was able to reach the Hospital Wing by the most direct way. When she arrived, she very politely asked Madam Pomfrey for permission to see Remus. Madam Pomfrey looked her over, and seemed to consider her.

  
  


"Alright, but only for a short while and mind you, he needs to get some rest." She told Darwin sternly. 

  
  


Darwin obediently nodded her head and Madam Pomfrey disappeared to her office. Darwin didn't have to go far. Remus was lying on the second bed on the right hand side of the room, with his back facing toward her. At first she worried that he might already be asleep and that she had made the entire trip in vain. But as she got closer, she discovered that he was very much awake and that he was absentmindedly staring off at the other end of the room. 

  
  


"Hey." She said quietly, as she sat down on the end of the bed.

  
  


"Oh, hi. "He seemed pleased, but surprised, to see her. "What are you doing here?"

  
  


"Oh, um, well..." She began, as if she hadn't actually expected him to ask that question. "Well, to tell you the truth, James kind of forced me to come."

  
  


"Did he?" He asked with a knowing grin. "Well, I'm very grateful for the company. I was bored five minutes after I got here."

  
  


Darwin gave a slight laugh. For reasons unbeknownst to her, she was slightly nervous. 

"How's your arm?" She asked tentatively.

  
  


"Oh, it's fine. Madam Pomfrey mended it in a snap, but she still insisted that I stay here overnight."

  
  


"Aww, poor Remus." Darwin cooed with sarcastic pity. 

  
  


It was Remus' turn to laugh, but he didn't seem nervous in the slightest. 

  
  


"So, why was it that James forced you to come see me?" He asked. 

  
  


"Well, he said I should double check to make sure you were fine and then apologize to you." 

  
  


Remus laughed again. 

  
  


"Apologize? Whatever for?" He curiously asked. 

  
  


"He claimed I was distracting you and that it was my fault you got hit by that Bludger." She told him, but she couldn't keep the smile out of her voice. It was impossible to talk about James without smiling. 

  
  


Remus looked her straight in the eye, his bright eyes shining. 

  
  


"You were distracting me, but it's not your fault."He said this very quietly, and there was a slight smile playing on his lips. 

  
  


In voluntarily, Darwin began to blush under his gaze. 

  
  


"Can I ask you something?" His voice remained low and he didn't break eye contact. 

"Yes."

  
  


"Would you like to-" He was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a strangled moan emanating from the other end of the Hospital Wing. 

  
  


"Oh no." Remus said quickly. "I've got to go fetch Madam Pomfrey. Wait here."

  
  


He rushed out of the room and Darwin was left alone with the sounds of someone in definite pain. She looked down the long row of beds and saw that two of them had the curtains drawn around them. 

  
  


Being naturally curious, she began to quietly walk toward the bed which she thought the sounds were emanating from. They were agonized moans, which were nearly painful to listen to, and were occasionally interrupted by spouts of heaving breathing. She soon found herself standing right next to the drawn curtains and she suddenly found herself filled with an unquenchable curiosity. She just had to see who was behind those curtains and what was causing them so much pain. 

  
  


She gingerly pulled the curtain back and peeked in. Almost immediately she wished she hadn't. It was very obvious that it was no one she knew. The person appeared to be a Wizard, evident by his robes, in his late thirties. However, what made the sight so appalling was that the Wizard appeared to be the victim of an Incendio charm gone horribly wrong. His robes were scorched and black and in several places, the fabric had been burned completely away and the man's skin was visible. This skin was red and blistered and looked distorted. Darwin could see where Madam Pomfrey had applied the thick orange paste that was used to mend burns. 

  
  


The man writhed in pain, compulsively clutching some of his robes in a tight fist. His face was covered in a sheen of sweat and was also covered in burns. Some of the man's hair even appeared to have been singed off. 

  
  


Darwin quickly realized that there was absolutely nothing she could do for the man and silently backed away from the bed, closing the curtain as she did so. She considered options, of which doing nothing was not, and came to the conclusion that the only thing she could do was to join Remus in finding Madam Pomfrey. 

  
  


She was about to do just that when she heard another sound, this time coming from the other bed with the curtains closed about it. It was a high-pitched whimper, followed by a quick hitch of breath. Darwin peered behind the curtains surrounding that bed and saw someone she did know. Well, sort of. It was a Hogwarts student. A seventh-year Hufflepuff, to the best of Darwin's knowledge. She remembered having a class with her last year and thought that perhaps, her name might have been Sarah. 

  
  


The girl was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees excruciatingly tightly to her chest and slightly rocking back and forth. She hadn't seemed to notice Darwin and kept her eyes, which were dark and shining, looking straight ahead. Her bottom lip trembled and her face was deathly pale. The sounds of pain from the other bed had increased and the man was now making a rather disturbing gurgling sound. 

  
  


Darwin tentatively reached out a hand and placed it on Sarah's shoulder. Sarah jumped, swivelled her face toward Darwin and clutched her wrist with surprising strength. The whites of her eyes were almost nonexistent and her breathing was fast and ragged.

  
  


"Calm down," Darwin said soothingly, holding up her other hand. 

  
  


Sarah slowly lessened her grip on Darwin's wrist and eventually dropped it all together. She kept her eyes fixated on Darwin, not saying anything.

  
  


"Are you okay?" Darwin asked. "What happened?"

  
  


Sarah's gaze remained trained on her for a few moments longer and then she began to speak so quietly that Darwin had to strain to hear her.

  
  


"I was in Hogsmeade......potions supplies.....just about to leave...."Her speech became more and more difficult to understand as she went on. Her breathing became very ragged and she occasionally sobbed and hiccuped. "All of the sudden.....surrounded.....black cloaks.....flames shooting out of their wands, yelling "Die Mudblood!"......" This last part particularly upset her and tears began to spill down her cheeks. 

  
  


She lifted a shaking hand and pointed in the direction of the other bed.

  
  


"He saved me. He pushed me out of the way. When I turned to look at him, he was on fire, screeching in pain." She said in a small, trembling voice. 

  
  


Just then, Darwin heard the sound of a door being quickly opened, followed by very rushed footsteps.

  
  


"I leave for five minutes...." Darwin could hear Madam Pomfrey muttering. She spotted Darwin standing by Sarah's bed and promptly said "You'll have to leave now." Then she disappeared behind the bed curtains to tend to the injured man. 

  
  


Remus had returned with Madam Pomfrey and was looking at the closed curtains, concerned. Darwin went to stand next to him, glad to be away from Sarah as the current state she was in made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. 

  
  


"Do you know what happened?" She asked Remus quietly.

  
  


He turned to look at her, still concerned. 

  
  


"Not really. I was lying here in the Hospital Wing after my accident on the pitch and all of a sudden, I saw Madam Pomfrey and a few of the Professors rush in here with the injured man and that girl in Hufflepuff. She was absolutely hysterical when they brought her in. From what I overheard from the Professors, I gathered that some sort of accident happened in Hogsmeade and they decided to bring the injured man here, as it was the closest place which could supply medical attention."

  
  


"Remus," Darwin said very low, making direct eye contact. "I don't think it was an accident. From what Sarah said-"

  
  


A confused look passed over Remus' face.

  
  


"The girl in Hufflepuff over there." Darwin clarified.

  
  


"From what she said, it was a deliberate attack. Apparently, a group of black robed Wizards surrounded her while she was in Hogsmeade and were attempting to attack her, but that man saved her."

  
  


Remus seemed to consider this for a moment.

"Why would anyone want to do that?" He asked, truly confused. 

  
  


Darwin glanced over at the closed curtains surrounding the injured man's bed to see if Madam Pomfrey had noticed that she was still there. She hadn't.

  
  


"Apparently," Darwin said, her voice dropping even lower. "They attacked her because she was Muggle born. They were shouting something about Mudbloods when they came after her."

  
  


Darwin couldn't help but feel scared as the true implication of this hit her. She was Muggle born and some part of her mind whispered that it could've been her that was attacked instead. She had the sinking feeling that she looked as scared as she felt because immediately, Remus began to dispel her fears. 

  
  


"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure it was just some crazy fanatics. The Ministry will take care of them. There's nothing for you to worry about." He said soothingly as he slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Come on, you should get going."

  
  


He began to walk her back to the exit of the Hospital Wing. Her fears only momentarily forgotten, Darwin reflected that she had never actually been this close to Remus before. He was tall and lean and his hand felt very warm on her shoulder. In spite of herself, Darwin also noticed that he smelt very nice. However, all these thoughts were quickly washed from her mind as she heard the injured man groan particularly loudly, followed by the sounds of Madam Pomfrey comforting him. Almost immediately, she began to feel sick to her stomach. 

  
  


They reached they door and Remus bade her goodnight. 

  
  


"I'll see you tomorrow and Darwin, stop worrying." He flashed her a rather lopsided smile.

  
  


She could only manage a weak smile in return and then began on her trek back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

  
  
  
  


* * *

A/N: Finally, there's some semblance of a plot in this story now. I'll hopefully have the next chapter done soon. Reviews would be greatly appreciated. 


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.   
Chapter Five   
After returning to the Gryffindor Common Room, Darwin found that her friends had been anxiously awaiting her arrival. As soon as he saw her, James began firing questions at her about what had happened with Remus.   
  
She found this rather annoying, and gave him no answer, only a baleful look. When her dejected mood had become apparent to all those present, everyone grew quiet, and seemed to wait for her to speak. She took a seat on the sofa next to Sirius and remained quiet for a moment. He flung a comforting arm around her shoulders and then quietly asked:  
"What did Remus say?"  
  
Darwin let out an agitated sigh,  
  
"This has nothing to do with him!" She said a little more forcibly than she meant to. Sirius looked inexplicably relieved.   
  
A moment of uncomfortable silence passed. Then, reluctantly, Darwin related the story of what had happened in Hogsmeade that day and what she had seen in the Hospital Wing. As she did, she kept her head bowed and her eyes trained on her hands. She could feel Sirius begin to rub back in slow circles which she found very comforting. In this moment of anxiety Darwin was particularly grateful to have a friend such as Sirius.   
  
When she had finished, another uncomfortable silence arose. As the group consisted mostly of people who had a knack for humour and mischief, but were somewhat inept when dealing with empathy and tragedies not directly involving them, no one quite knew what to do next. None of them were really the type to get all teary-eyed over anything and everything ill that ever befell mankind, but all were savvy enough to realize that such an event was not to be taken lightly.   
Out of the corner of her eye, Darwin could see Lily's face turn slightly red, and tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.   
  
James, who was very astute in his own way, was very quick to notice this.  
  
"Lily, what's wrong?" He asked softly.  
  
"My parents, they're Muggles too." She said, her voice sounding very tight.  
  
James almost laughed.   
  
"Oh, come off it! You've got absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm sure it was just a couple of insane extremists trying to get some attention." He told her, very self-assured.   
Lily seemed to consider this for a moment.  
  
"I guess you're right, but I can't help thinking-"  
  
"But nothing. I don't want to hear another word about this. Those nutters have been around forever."  
  
Lily didn't look very convinced. Darwin made a mental note to talk to her before they went to sleep, sans the Marauders.   
  
Soon after, the group broke into conversation, but Darwin was still rather distracted by what had happened. Having grown up in a Muggle environment, she was never really aware of the dislike for Muggle-born witches and wizards in the Wizarding community. Even though it was a rather obscure position, Darwin had to admit to herself that she was not all that surprised that it existed. Having grown up in Montreal, and having an English father, she was used to discrimination based on heritage. The French-Canadian's hated anything and everything that could be connected to English Canada, and they even more vehemently hated anything that could be connected with England. During her childhood, her father had had a difficult time finding work, though he always managed to maintain a sunny disposition. One of her earliest memories was of being in a grocery store of some sort, and seeing another child there. The child had been standing next to her mother, and while Darwin's mother was occupied with placing a particularly heavy object in the shopping cart, Darwin had scampered off to see the other child. But as soon as she neared, the other child's mother turned, seemed to recognize Darwin, and then snatched her daughter away in a hurry. Darwin hadn't understood then, but she understood now why that had happened.   
  
It was a very unpleasant thing, to know that something about her, something that made her who she was, and something that she couldn't change, was so despicable to someone else. She found herself feeling the exact same thing she had felt so many years ago, now that this issue of being Muggle-born had presented itself. If these people who hated Muggle- borns were really just a small group of fanatics, that wasn't really a problem. But what if they weren't? What if their numbers grew and grew? She very quickly decided that there was no use in thinking about these things, and so she decided to focus her attention on something else.   
  
Very quickly, and not surprisingly, her attention fell to James, who was telling Sirius and Peter a story from his childhood.   
  
"This happened right around the time I was learning to read." He began. " I was all excited that I had learnt how, so I would look through the house, to try and find things to read. Since most of the times I had read at school had been out loud, at home, I would do the same thing- sit at the kitchen table and read out loud. Well, one day, my mom had some company over, so I took the opportunity to look in her room for something read. Well, what I found was a harlequin romance." He paused for a moment to laugh with Sirius.   
  
"So, I went straight to the kitchen, sat down next to my mom, and started reading. After reading two sentences, I had already made mention of 'milky white breasts' and a 'pulsating member'. I've never seen my mom so embarrassed. I was grounded for a week." He finished with his trademark rolling laugh, followed by Peter's silly giggle.   
  
Sirius laughed too, and Darwin, who had been in a daze up until that point, noticed that she was curled up next to him quite comfortably. He had his arm draped around her, and his hand rested on her upper arm. Even though they were best friends, they were never very physically affectionate. In fact, Darwin was somewhat puzzled by the way Sirius was acting. He would act like this with his girlfriends, not with her. Just as she was pondering this, Sirius reached over with his free hand and grasped one of Darwin's hands. His hands, which were much bigger than hers, were very warm, and he moved his thumb in slow circles on the back of her hand. He did all this while still maintaining a very lively conversation with James, and he seemed to act in an almost absent-minded manner. After a few moments, something very deep inside Darwin had to admit that she was enjoying the attention.   
  
All of Sirius' girlfriends were so pretty and perfect, and now, for the moment, he was treating her as he treated them. She smiled inwardly to herself, and though she never would have admitted it at that moment, she was most definitely sexually attracted to Sirius.   
  
Sirius and James could seemingly talk for hours and not get tired. On this particular occasion, the conversation had moved to the newest Quidditch gear and the status of their favorite teams. Even if she had wanted to, Darwin could not had carried on an intelligent conversation concerning Quidditch. So she remained curled next to Sirius. Very soon she grew tired and rested her head on his shoulder. He didn't seem to mind, and he even tightened his arm around her.   
  
It was very odd to be positioned like that, and be able to listen to Sirius talk and feel his voice vibrate through him. She had never before noticed how broad his shoulders were and how good he smelt. Now, this isn't to say that Darwin was falling for Sirius, because she wasn't. She still saw him as nothing more than a very good friend, however, it's just that at this moment, she began to see him in a new light.   
  
Presently, however, Darwin was nearly asleep.  
  
James, astuteness never failing, noticed this.   
  
"Hey Siri, it appears as though you're so boring, you've put Darwin to sleep."  
  
"I'm not the boring one." He shot back.   
  
Sirius turned his face toward Darwin, but didn't have to go very far.  
  
"But I digress, it is way best your bedtime young lady." He said, his charming smile filling Darwin's vision.   
  
"Go to hell." Was her good-natured response.   
  
"Oh, and you're cranky too. You really do need to get to bed."  
  
Then Sirius did something very unexpected. He swooped his arm under her knees and his other arm behind her back and lifted her up.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked immediately.   
  
"Taking you to bed." He gave a sly little smile and his eyes glinted. Inexplicably, a little chill ran down Darwin's spine.   
  
"You sexist bastard!" Lily reprimanded, but in a good-natured way. Lily was a feminist at heart, and pounced on any opportunity to scold any male for being sexist.   
  
"She has two perfectly working legs and she can get herself up to bed very easily on her own. Without your help." She said sternly, but couldn't stop a smile from escaping.   
  
"Oh, shove it Evans." Sirius told her, and began to make his way toward the staircase which led to the girls' dormitory, still carrying Darwin.   
  
"Next time Sirius, I swear, I'll slap you." Lily called to Sirius' retreating back.   
Sirius just laughed.   
  
Sirius was surprisingly good at carrying Darwin, and she very soon suspected that he had done this before. He didn't bump her head against the wall once, and most definitely didn't drop her or loose his grip.   
  
They arrived at the sixth year girls' dorm to find it darkened, light only by a few bedside candles, with two of the other sixth year Gryffindor girls already asleep.  
  
"Which bed is yours?" Sirius whispered in her ear. On the surface, this my have seemed like a very practical thing, as to not wake the other girls, but Darwin couldn't help but feel another chill down her spine.   
  
"That one." Darwin replied, and pointed in the direction of her four-poster.   
Silently, Sirius carried her over to her bed, and then very gently set her down. Sirius sat down on the side of the bed next to her.   
  
"Thank you, prince charming, that was very chivalrous of you." Darwin told him sarcastically.   
  
"Anytime." He told her, his voice still soft, his dark eyes fixed on her face.   
  
"Sirius, you kind of suck at this. I'm still going to have to get up to change my clothes. I'm not sleeping in this." She said with a giggle.   
  
"Just sleep in the nude." He said slyly. "Or I could always just change your clothes for you."  
In response to Darwin's shocked look, he said "Using my wand of course."  
  
"Oh!" Darwin quietly exclaimed, embarrassed that she had assumed otherwise. "No, no, that's quite alright."  
  
"You're sure?" As Sirius said this, he moved his face closer to hers, and his hand went to her hip. Darwin was momentarily distracted by the warmth she could feel through her clothes coming from Sirius' hand.   
  
"Quite sure." She replied, slightly uncomfortable.   
  
Then, suddenly, Sirius leaned forward and kissed her. This wasn't the chaste little pecks on the cheek he normally gave her, this was a real kiss. Darwin was so surprised she didn't even think to close her eyes, hence, she got an unflattering close-up of Sirius' cheek. It lasted only a few moments, his hand tightened on her hip, and then it was over. He gave her a smile.   
  
"Goodnight." He said simply. He gave her another quick peck on the corner of her mouth and left the room.   
  
Once he was gone, the first thought that entered Darwin's mind was 'What the hell just happened?'. Sirius, her best friend for years, had just kissed her. Not only that, he had been very openly affectionate and flirtatious toward her. This was certainly new and at the same time, very odd. Sirius had never, ever shown even the slightest romantic interest in her. He had always maintained that they were just friends and she had done the same. On her more insecure days, Darwin would account this to her being undesirable, however, most of the time, she would simply attribute this to Sirius wanting to maintain their great friendship. But then, what the hell was he doing?  
  
To add to her confusion, there was the issue of Remus. Remus, who was dreamy and made her feel nervous and light-headed, and who had seemed oddly interested in her. It was late, and she was tired, and she just didn't know what to think. In a daze, she managed to change into her night clothes and then get back into bed. She tossed and turned late into the night, trying to make sense of both Sirius' and Remus' actions, but as the night went on, her thinking became more and more muddled, and eventually she fell into an uneasy sleep.   
As these things often go, she awoke late and found the dorm empty. She cursed, then in a rush, she hopped out of bed and in record time, got ready for the day. She made her way out of the Gryffindor Common Room, her hair still wet and her clothes ruffled, seeing only two other students. Both were seventh years, she knew, and she assumed that they had spare first period today.   
  
She had Potions first today, which meant she had to go all the way from the Gryffindor Common Room on the seventh floor, to the Potions classroom, located in one of the dungeons. She figured she had already missed breakfast and didn't bother stopping at the Great Hall.   
  
She had never really been one for strenuous physical activity, and after running half the way to the Potions classroom, she had to slow down to a walk, a painful stitch in her side. As she drew closer to the dungeon where her Potions class was, she wished that she had thought to put on her school vest or sweater when she was getting dressed. The air was cold down here and there was an ever-present draft. The slight sweat she had worked up in her half-hearted run to class was now causing her to shiver slightly.   
  
She walked somewhat dejectedly towards her class, knowing that a horrible reprimand awaited her. Their Potions Master, Professor Eakins was a cheerless man with a short temper who fidgeted a lot and spat when he spoke. He didn't seem to like any of the students and none of the students seemed to like him.   
  
Darwin had her eyes trained on the floor as she walked, keenly watching the shadows her feet cast each time she took a step. The halls leading to the dungeons were lit only by torches, which never failed to create a very gloomy effect. She was alone in the hallway, and each time she stepped a small echo sounded.   
  
Suddenly, she thought she heard a voice. A hurried, short whisper, which was almost forceful. She stopped short. She waited a moment, then she heard another whisper, although this one seemed to be a different voice. She stood and listened. The voices seemed almost frantic. She could tell that they were coming from somewhere up ahead, and in spite of herself, she silently crept forward, straining her ears all the while.   
  
Soon, she was able to make out a few words of what was being said.   
  
"Heard anything—planning----last night---" Said the first.  
  
"Watched her all day— knew exactly where---"Replied the second.  
  
Darwin crept closer still. The voices seemed to be coming from the hallway that turned to her right, about ten feet ahead.   
  
"----very sorry the attack was unsuccessful, but they inform me that they appreciated our efforts----plan again soon." Said the first voice again, and to Darwin that voice seemed strangely familiar, but she couldn't quite place who it belonged to.   
  
Immediately, her mind jumped to the conclusion that the two people were talking about the attack in Hogsmeade the day prior. From what she heard, these two students, for from their voices she knew they weren't Professors, had somehow been involved in the attack. She could feel herself beginning to get nauseous and worried. Someone in the school would do that? She had always thought of Hogwarts as a safe haven, a place where the fanatics could not penetrate, a place where she would always be safe. But now, she couldn't be sure.   
  
She remained huddled against the wall, one of her hands gripped motionlessly to one of the slightly protruding stones in the wall's surface, the other clenched into a fist. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears, and her breath coming in short gasps.   
  
The two voices continued speaking, although they dropped their voices even more so that Darwin had to strain even more to catch what they were saying.   
  
"----another attack----soon----Hogwarts—"Said the second voice.  
  
"—to soon—patience is a virtue----" Hissed the first.  
  
As Darwin stood rooted to the spot, she hadn't noticed the quill she had been carrying slowly sliding out of her grasps. She noticed it too late and before she could react, it clattered to the ground, making a sound which anywhere else would have been minute, but here in the dungeon hallways, that little sound echoed tremendously.  
  
The voices stopped abruptly and her heart leapt into her throat. For a moment, nothing happened, then the voice that Darwin vaguely recognized said harshly:  
  
"Someone else is here."  
  
His voice seemed abnormally loud as it broke the atmosphere of silence that had existed a moment prior. Darwin quickly decided that it was in her best interest to not be found by these students and quickly ran back the way she had come. She ran faster then she knew she was capable of. Very soon though, she heard the rapid footsteps of someone pursuing her.  
  
She had to hide, and quick. She could never outrun anyone, especially this other student whom she assumed was male, by his voice. As she ran, she looked around frantically for somewhere to hide, but all she saw were locked doors and the walls of the hallway. The overall darkness of the dungeons made it very difficult to see, and her panic wasn't helping either. Then, up ahead, just as she felt herself beginning to tire, she saw a door up ahead that she knew wouldn't be locked. It was a Bathroom, the only problem was, it was one of the Boys' Bathrooms.  
  
For a moment she hesitated, but then she quickly decided that she would rather face an embarrassing situation in the Boys' loo than face, what seemed to be, sympathizers of the Death Eaters.   
  
She reached the door and pushed into it with all her weight. She hurried ran in and scanned the room. The girls really did have nicer bathrooms. The bathroom was empty, save for one person and it was none other than Remus Lupin.   
  
He was standing by one of the sinks, staring at her in bewilderment, his hands, forgotten, were under the faucet's running water.   
  
Score one for Remus, he's got good hygiene, her mind said irrationally.   
"Hey." He said tentatively.  
  
Darwin didn't say a word. She could hear the faint footfalls of her pursuer, and in a flash, grabbed Remus by the collar and pulled him into the farthest stall, against the back wall. Thankfully there was nothing unpleasant in the bowl, and Darwin locked the door behind them.   
"What's going--"Remus began but he was promptly shushed by Darwin.   
  
Darwin knew she had to get their feet out of view so she sat on top of the toilet's tank, and then pulled Remus into a standing position, his feet planted on the toilet seat. Immediately, he leaned forward and placed his hands on the wall behind Darwin for balance.   
"Don't move. Don't say anything." Darwin whispered fiercely.  
  
Remus curtly nodded his head and said nothing. Then, a moment of silence passed, which afforded Darwin the opportunity to reflect that it was a somewhat awkward position to be in. Her blood still pounded in her ears, and she was almost wheezing. Then, her heart nearly stopped. She heard the door to the bathroom slowly creek open and two sets of footsteps enter.   
  
"This is stupid, not to mention disgusting. Why would anyone hide here?" Asked one.   
  
"We can't be too careful. I'll just have a look." Said the voice that Darwin was so close to recognizing.  
  
Then, the speaker began to slowly walk across the room, his footsteps stopping at intervals, to, Darwin assumed, check under each stall. She could feel herself breaking out into a light sweat, her heart was in her throat and she couldn't move. She tried not to breath, for fear that it might give them away.   
  
The footsteps drew closer. Her hands were clammy and she thought she might faint. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of polished black shoes. They stopped in front of the stall two down from the one her and Remus were in. The door silently swung open. Nothing there. They moved to the stall right next to them, the sound of the footfalls pounding in her ears, the door swung open, nothing there.  
  
"Come on!" Said the voice belonging to the other person. "There's no one here."  
  
Oh please, oh please, oh please, Darwin thought frantically.   
  
"Alright," Said the other, and it was shocking just how close he was to them, probably only two or three feet. "I suppose you're right."  
  
The polished pair of black shoes diapered out of view and Darwin could hear the footfalls get quieter as they retreated. Just as she thought they were in the clear and as she let out a sigh of relief, she heard one set of the footsteps stop, then the other.   
  
"What is it now?"   
  
She waited with bated breath.   
  
"Nothing." The voice, resigned.  
  
She heard the door which led to the hallway open and then the two sets of footfalls exit. She stayed where she was for a moment, and grabbed Remus' hips to ensure that he did the same. When she was sure they were really gone, she heaved a huge sigh of relief, lifting her face up to Remus'.   
  
"What a relief." She said with a goofy smile.  
  
"What was that all about?" He asked, very confused.   
  
"Let's get out of here and I'll tell you."  
  
Remus climbed down, unlocked the door, and exited the stall, with Darwin close behind. The clod air hit her sweaty fresh and made her feel refreshed.   
  
In one of her rare moments of vanity, she made her way over to the row of sinks, and looked in one of the mirrors there. Her hair was a mess.  
  
"What are you doing?" Remus asked with a smile. "You look great." He said this last sentence in that same low, enticing tone he had used in the Hospital Wing the night prior.   
  
"My hair's all messy, I just have to fix it. It'll only take a second."   
  
Usually Darwin wore her rather long hair tied back in a messy bun at the bottom of her head. Today, however, after all the running she had done, her hair was all frizzy and the bun was a mess. She slipped her hair elastic off and then very quickly began running her finger through her hair, as a means to comb it. Very few people saw her with her hair down and Remus seemed mesmerized by the sight.   
  
"I've never seen your hair down before." He said quietly.  
  
"I don't like to wear it down. It gets messy that way and having hair around my face bothers me."  
  
"It looks really nice, you should wear it like that more often, or at least once."  
  
"Maybe." Was her simple response.   
  
After tying her hair back into it's back, and smoothing the hair on the top of her head down with a little water, she turned to face Remus.  
  
"I'll tell you what happened now, but first, can we get out of here?"  
  
Remus only laughed. He left the bathroom first, to ensure that no one was in the hallway, then motioned for Darwin to follow him. Then, as they walked toward Potions class, which, by this time, Darwin was very late for, she told Remus everything she had heard.   
  
When she had finished, she said "I know that voice, I just can't place who it belongs to. Any ideas?"  
  
"Of course. It's easy. The one that was checking the stalls was Severus Snape, and the other one was Lucius Malfoy."  
  
"Do you think they had something to do with the attack? Maybe they're in league with the Death Eaters."  
  
Remus seemed to consider this for a moment.  
  
"You know, at any other time, I'd tell you that you were overacting, but after what just happened, I'm not so sure."  
  
"Do you think we should tell someone? A Professor, or the Headmaster maybe."  
Again, Remus thought for a moment.  
  
"No, not yet." Was his response. " Malfoy's got a powerful family and some powerful friends. You don't want to become his enemy for no reason."  
  
"I guess you're right. But this, combined with what happened in Hogsmeade last night, is really making me uneasy." She admitted.  
  
"Don't worry." Remus said, puffing up his chest. "You have me to protect you."  
  
Darwin began to giggle.  
  
"What? You don't think I'm capable of protecting you?"  
  
Darwin only giggled more.  
  
"Come on. I'm big and tough and play Quidditch. What more could you want in a bodyguard?"  
  
Darwin broke into full-fledged laughter.  
  
"Oh, you think that's funny, eh?" He asked, and before she knew it, Darwin was pinned against the wall, being tickled mercilessly.   
  
"Remus—stop----can't breath---"She sputtered.   
  
He obeyed, but moved in very close to Darwin and placed a hand on either side of her head.  
  
"Seriously now, what's so funny about the suggestion of me being your bodyguard?" He asked, attempting to be serious.  
  
"Nothing's funny, it's just, you're so cute."  
  
Remus suddenly pushed away from the wall, his eyes closed, grabbing at his chest as if he had been shot.  
  
"What's wrong?" Darwin asked.  
  
"Cute? She says I'm cute and asks what's wrong." He moaned forlornly. "Guys can't be cute."  
  
"But you're cute in a very good way."She told him sincerely.  
  
"Cute, say, in a way that you really like?" He asked slyly.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Cute in a way that makes you want to go on a date with me?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Oh, playing hard to get are we?" He asked mockingly.  
  
Darwin gave a laugh. "Maybe."  
  
"Okay, Darwin, I'm about to ask you something, and I will never talk to you again if you say maybe. Yes or no, will you go out with me?"  
  
Darwin thought for a moment.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"That's it!" Remus exclaimed, turned on his heel and headed towards the Potions class.  
  
"Wait! Wait!" Darwin called as she ran after him. "Yes! Yes, I'll go out with you."  
  
Remus gave her a baleful look.  
  
"How do you know I still want to date you?"  
  
Darwin faked like she was shocked.  
  
"Oh, is that how it is then? Not good enough for you?" She asked, pretending to be annoyed.  
  
Remus' response- "Maybe."  
  
"Oh shut up." She said and playfully slapped him in the arm.   
  
They continued walking toward the Potions classroom.  
  
"So, does this Saturday night sound good to you?"  
  
"Very. But what are we going to go?" She asked. There wasn't a lot one could do for a date on the Hogwarts grounds and this weekend wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, although, the current circumstances considered, they probably wouldn't have gone there anyway.   
  
"You'll see. "Was his only response.   
  
They entered the Potions classroom and were promptly assigned detentions for that evening, although Darwin didn't really mind. She found herself more and more intrigued by Remus and really wanted to spend more time with him, even if it was in detention. By this time, she had all but forgotten what had happened with Sirius the previous evening, and attributed his actions to him just being silly. She also made a mental note to tell the others what she had overhead Malfoy and Snape saying on her way to class.   
A/N: Many thanks to my one reviewer, but I'm curious- is anyone actually reading this? I'm hardly begging for praise, just wondering. It would be nice to get some feedback, even if there are only a few people reading this. But not to worry, for anyone who is reading this and enjoying it, as long as one person is having fun, so am I, and I will continue writing. Well, until next time, bye bye. 


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended

  
  
  
  
  
  


A/N: I hope everyone likes this chapter, and as always, I have yet to find a beta, so just ignore any mistakes. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

Ataraxia: Chapter Six 

  
  


Now, for Darwin, getting assigned a detention was unusual and unpleasant enough on it's own, but, having that detention fall on the night of the Halloween feast made it an even more displeasing occurrence. Although, Darwin had to admit to herself, having the opportunity to spend more time with Remus, alone, was very enticing. She found herself compelled to talk to him on a personal level and learn more about him. He exuded an air of reserved mystery, was very sociable and outgoing when prompted, but at the same time, revealed little about himself and hardly ever spoke of his personal experiences. He displayed a genuine intelligence, and exhibited the rare ability to actually apply the knowledge he had acquired. To Darwin, he wasn't a complete mystery, as she felt she knew him to a certain extent, but she only knew him through his life at school and nothing more. She still lacked knowledge of Remus on a more personal level, which made spending more time with him all the more enticing, even if it was time spent in detention

  
  


She and Remus' detention was to begin promptly at half past six, which gave them only a few moments to quickly stop at the Great Hall and grab what food they could. 

  
  


As they made their way to the Great Hall, their company was somewhat diminished as James and Lily had been off doing Prefect-things and said they would meet them there, Sirius had been broody all afternoon and had elected to socialize with the other members of the Quidditch team that afternoon, and so the group consisted merely of Remus, Darwin and Peter. 

  
  


Remus and Darwin walked briskly toward the Hall, wanting to allow themselves as much time as possible for supper, while Peter lagged behind slightly. He, even more so than Darwin, was not one for strenuous physical activity.

  
  


"Can't you two slow down?" He asked, slightly out of breath.

  
  


"Nope."

  
  


"Not a chance." Remus turned to face Peter, very easily keeping up his pace and balance while walking backward. "Maybe if you weren't so lazy--" He began, but was promptly cut-off.

  
  


"I'm not lazy, I'm just very efficient." Peter told him with surprisingly conviction.

  
  


Darwin gave a laugh.

  
  


"That's a pretty good excuse." She said.

  
  


"It's not an excuse!"

  
  


They arrived at the Great Hall a few minutes later, although they would've arrived sooner, had the staircases not been in a playful mood. The Hall looked magnificent, as usual, with the swarms of live bats fluttering everywhere, and the usual floating candles replace by 

Jack-o-lanterns. They quickly spotted James, Lily and Sirius, sitting near the middle of the Gryffindor table and as usual, James was causing a ruckus over something. They briskly walked over and Darwin took a seat between James and Sirius, which of course was very easy as they were Big Strong Tough Guys and liked to keep ample distance between each other. Remus and Peter took seats on the other side of the table, on either side of Lily.

  
  


"So, what's for dinner?" Darwin asked immediately.

  
  


"Spam." James said, without a moment of hesitation.

  
  


"But I don't like Spam!" Darwin replied, right on time. 

  
  


"Not that again." Sirius commented dryly. His foul mood seemed to have increased. 

  
  


Darwin turned to face him.

  
  


"Sirius, what's wrong?" She was utterly sincere, but Sirius refused to look her in the eye.

  
  


"Nothing."

  
  


James, indispensable as ever, had everyone's attention focused on him in a second, telling a story about how he had once been approached by an insane man in Diagon Alley who had begged him to dance a jig, in an attempt to give Darwin and Sirius some privacy.

  
  


" Sirius, what's wrong?" She asked again.

  
  


"I told you, nothing." He replied, and he seemed on the verge of getting annoyed.

  
  


"I can tell when something's wrong. What is it?"

  
  


He looked her straight in the eye now, seeming to consider her. Something strange flickered across his face for a moment, then it was gone. 

  
  


"I'll talk to you later, after you get back from your detention." He said finally.

  
  


"Okay, that's fine. But nothing's wrong, is it? I mean, you're okay, right?"

  
  


He rolled his eyes.

  
  


"Yes, I'm fine." He told her, his good-humour returning. 

  
  


After this, Darwin turned all her attention to supper. She was only able to scarf down half a baked potato, a piece of bread, and a swig of pumpkin juice before it was time to go. 

  
  


She stood to leave and Remus did the same on the other side of the table, but before she began walking, Sirius, who had sat in a dejected daze all through supper, reached out and grabbed her arm and pulled her down for a quick peck on the cheek.

  
  


He met her eyes.

  
  


"I'll talk to you later." He said quietly, and before turning his gaze back to supper, for the shortest moment, he threw a gaze of utter contempt over Darwin's shoulder. The look vanished just as soon as it had appeared, but Darwin saw it, all the same.

  
  


The pair regretfully left the Hall, amid the chatter of swarms of content students, enjoying the Halloween feast.

  
  


They made their way down to the dungeons, where Professor Eakins said he would be waiting for them. On the way there, their paces were brisk and they spoke little. Darwin's mind was still occupied with what she had overheard Malfoy and Snape discussing that morning, but she had gotten the impression that Remus wasn't interested in discussing the matter. It didn't seem that he necessarily doubted Malfoy or Snape's ability to correspond with the Death Eaters, and subsequently pass them valuable information, he just seemed to feel that theorizing about something which they knew very little was pointless. The day had been hectic and she still hadn't been able to mention anything to any of the others, and thought that she might ask Sirius about it later that evening. 

  
  


They arrived at their Potions classroom, Darwin slightly out of breath, thanks to all the short, but many, staircases one had to use to get to the Dungeons. Professor Eakins was waiting.

  
  


"Tsk, tsk, tsk." He began, his high-pitched voice resonating through the empty classroom."Three minutes late. You two are off to a bad start."

  
  


Neither Darwin, nor Remus, said anything. Professor Eakins was known for his irritability and short temper. 

  
  


"For your dentention," He began formally, after waiting a moment after finishing his first remark. He almost seemed to want one of them to say something, just so he could pounce on them. "You will be ordering and shelving old textbooks. I will escort you to the room where they are stored, though I will not supervise you. It is tedious and rather boring work. Mind, though, I will be checking to ensure that you have completed your task tomorrow morning. Follow me." 

  
  


He began to walk out of the Potions classroom, but turned to them suddenly.

  
  


"Do you have your wands with you?"He asked.

  
  


"No." Darwin and Remus said in unison.

  
  


"Excellent. No magic allowed, remember." He gave them a cruel smile and began walking again. 

  
  


Darwin had no idea where he was taking them and didn't think it prudent to ask. She and Remus walked a few paces behind Professor Eakins, noticing that each time he walked past a painting on the wall, the figure inside gave him a sour look. Apparently, the portraits didn't like him either. 

  
  


As always, Professor Eakins revealed himself as a jackass at heart, as it became apparent to Darwin that he was taking them to one of Hogwart's highest floors. They walked past the Great Hall, where a few students still lingered, past the library, up several staircases, past countless classrooms, up more staircases, past the entrance to the Gryffindor common room when finally, Professor Eakins halted abruptly, pulled aside a tapestry, opened the door hiding behind it, only to reveal another staircase. 

  
  


Darwin sighed inwardly. She had never before realized just how big Hogwarts was. The staircase the door led to was winding and creaky and lit only by a few torches. They plodded on until Professor Eakins came to a stop in front of a door at the head of the stairs and opened it. Inside were stacks upon stacks of old, tattered, dusty textbooks. There were so many textbooks, the floor couldn't be seen. As a cruel joke, four large bookshelves stood in the middle of the room, completely empty. 

  
  


"Your detention is as such, put all of these books neatly, and in proper alphabetical order, into the bookshelves and you may leave. Any questions?"

  
  


Silence. It was pretty self-explanatory.

  
  


"Then I'll leave you to it."

He left and closed the door loudly behind him.

  
  


"What a bastard." Darwin commented dryly. "This is going to take us hours."

  
  


The room was fairly small, but stuffed to the gills with books. The books were piled in some instances, but mostly, they were just scattered haphazardly. The room was dusty and the air was stuffy, and of course, there was no window. 

  
  


"Well, let's get to work." Remus said, sounding more good-natured than he had any right to. 

  
  


Within minutes, Remus had devised a plan to organize all the books, which consisted mostly of putting all the books that began with A in one pile, then sorting those into alphabetical order, then placing them on a shelf and then doing the same with B and so on. By the time they got to G, they had cleared a decent amount of space on the floor, where they could sit comfortably while working.

  
  


The books seemed to contain mostly supplemental information, the kind of books which might be used while researching an obscure topic for an essay, or finding a rare fact. They were also incredibly old, one dating as far back as 1877. Most likely, the school had procured newer, more accurate versions which now resided in the school library. However, their tatty appearance and questionable accuracy didn't seem to deter Remus. He seemed surprisingly interested in each volume he picked up, often stopping to read a passage before sorting it into the correct pile. 

  
  


He seemed particularly interested in a volume pertaining to the environmental preferences of werewolves. 

  
  


"This is all wrong." He said with a roll of his eyes.

  
  


"And how would you know?" Darwin asked.

  
  


"I wrote an essay about werewolves in third year. I got really interested in the topic and I guess I went a little overboard in my research. You might even say I'm somewhat of an expert on werewolves." He said with a joking air of all-knowing, intellectual superiority. 

  
  


Darwin gave a laugh and reached over and snapped the book he was holding closed, causing a puff dust to fly into his face. 

  
  


"Don't do that." He warned with a smile. "You don't want to go starting a war with me."

  
  


"And what if I do?"

  
  


"All hell will break loose."

  
  


"At any other time, I would probably be throwing something at you and then running away, but right now, I'm just too tired. Plus, we're barely half done in here." She said, resigned. 

  
  


"That's a very wise choice."

  
  


For a few moments, neither said anything, and both just silently, continuing to sort and stack books. Darwin stopped abruptly.

  
  


"Remus?"

  
  


"Hmmm?"

  
  


"Have you noticed that Sirius has been acting a little strange lately?" 

  
  


Remus, unexpectedly, sighed.

  
  


"Yes, I have."He said, very deflated.

  
  


Darwin was a little confused by his response and thought for a moment.

  
  


"Do you know something that I don't?

  
  


"I suppose I do." He told her, looking very thoughtful, but avoiding any eye contact.

  
  


"Would you like to enlighten me?"

  
  


He turned and looked at her and made direct eye contact. She had never before realized how bright his eyes were.

  
  


"I think it would be best if you talked to Sirius first." He said, with the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. 

  
  


".....okay...." Darwin replied, confused. She felt it would be best, though, if she didn't push the issue. For some reason, she had a strange inkling that Remus was involved, and that he was somehow the party at fault, although she couldn't understand why, hence his unwillingness to discuss the issue. 

  
  


Overall, Darwin was very puzzled by Sirius' behavior as of late. He was naturally flirtatious, even with her, but lately, he had been overly so. The thing that puzzled Darwin most was that he had all but ceased his flirting with other girls and seemed to focus solely on her. The problem was, he always did it in a half-hearted, over-the-top, joking way, which made it very hard to decipher. However, she refused to admit that him kissing her was anymore then him having some fun.

  
  


In truth, Darwin had never actually had a real boyfriend, and she was ecstatic that someone, Remus Lupin no less, was beginning to show an interest in her. The reason for her dismal love-life was simple- Sirius was not only flirtatious, he was very over-protective of those he loved. Darwin had always assumed that his being over-protective of her was his way of psychologically compensating for the way he treated other girls and it had been a constant presence throughout most of her life that she never thought to get infuriated. At Hogwarts, Sirius Black was a force to be reckoned with and in their first year, after a boy in Ravenclaw named Dennis LaRoque had asked Darwin out, and had been promptly punched in the nose by Sirius, it was final. Darwin Moore was off limits. Oddly enough, this never really bothered Darwin. She actually kind of reveled in the fact that Sirius cared enough for her that he wanted to prevent her from getting hurt. 

  
  


This isn't to say that she never dated anyone, because she did. But she always found that she wasn't really interested anyway, much preferring to just hang around with her friends and concentrate on school work. From what she had seen, having a significant other took up a lot of one's time, and in her opinion, it was all for naught. She didn't plan on getting married any time soon, and wasn't looking for a serious relationship. So, the way she saw it, there was no point in going through the motions, only to have the relationship end in a big scene, and then completely forget the entire episode had ever happened a few days later. To her, it just seemed like a big waste of time, energy and effort. That, and it didn't really help that Sirius was always breathing down the neck of any potential beau, death threats in the instance that Darwin was caused any pain whatsoever included. 

  
  


"So,"Remus said after a few moments of silent book-sorting, in an obvious attempt to brighten the mood. "Excited about Saturday?"

  
  


Darwin gave him a dubious look.

  
  


"That all depends on what you have planned."She waited for him to respond, but he only gave her a cheeky look and quirked an eyebrow. "What do you have planned?"

  
  


"You'll just have to wait and see."

  
  


"Oh, no! That means I'm going to hate it, doesn't it?"

  
  


"Not necessarily." 

  
  


"Right, okay, well next time we do something, I'm choosing it." She told him.

  
  


Remus threw his hands up in the air in mock exasperation, and the book he had been holding clattered to the ground. 

  
  


"You don't even know that you're going to hate what I've got planned."A pause. "You say we're going on another date?"

"Maybe."

  
  


"Oh not this again."

"Maybe."

  
  


"Okay, that response didn't even make sense."

  
  


To finish sorting all the books probably took them longer than it should have, even considering the fact that it was a massive task, but Darwin, for one, didn't care. They finally finished, all the books neatly placed on the bookshelves, and the room looked much bigger than it had when they had first come in. The two left the room and walked slowly back to the common room, laughing all the way. They even stopped to talk to Napoleon and Darwin introduced Remus to the Emperor, who was being visited by Josephine. 

  
  


Remus seemed to be fascinated by Darwin's fascination with the portraits at Hogwarts. Remus spoke unabashedly with Napoleon for a few moments, while Josephine silently regarded him. When Napoleon and Remus had finished speaking, she turned to Darwin and said:

  
  


"This friend of yours, he is very handsome, no?"

  
  


Darwin felt her face begin to burn.

  
  


"I think so." She said this as she gave Remus a sheepish grin. 

  
  


It was Remus' turn to blush now. Napoleon bade them goodnight, as he seemingly wanted to spend some quality time with Josephine. They made their way to the common room and Remus gave the password to the Fat Lady. 

  
  


The common room was empty, save for James, Sirius, Peter and a couple of seventh years who were playing a very involved game of Wizard's chess in one corner. Neither James, Sirius nor Peter had noticed them come in, which afforded them the opportunity to catch a snatch of their conversation. 

  
  


"You are being absolutely ridiculous!" James nearly shouted. He was irritated, which was a rare sight indeed. If James was angry, there was bound to be very good reason for it. 

"No, I'm not." Sirius replied, an icy tone in his voice. 

  
  


"Sirius, listen to reason." Peter pleaded.

  
  


"You know how hard it is for him, now finally--"

  
  


"Hm hmm." Darwin cleared her throat. She didn't want to eavesdrop or overhear anything she shouldn't. She wasn't sure, but she assumed they were talking about her and Remus. 

  
  


"Good evening, you two." James purred, all his joviality reappearing in a flash. "And how was detention?"

  
  


"We had to sort and shelve books. How do you think it was?" Darwin asked, incredulous.

  
  


"Boring beyond all belief and reason?"

  
  


Darwin flashed Remus a small smile.

  
  


"Something like that."

  
  


James surveyed the situation. 

  
  


"Remus, my good man, what say you to turning in now? I need my beauty sleep, and you look like you could do with a good forty winks."At this, Peter stood, gave a yawn, mumbled "Goodnight" and then scuffled off to bed. 

  
  


"Aye, aye, captain." Remus replied. He gave Darwin a peck on the cheek and then walked after James up the stairs leading to the boys' dormitory. Darwin could feel her face turning red and in a sort of daze, turned to look at Sirius. She snapped back to reality in an instant. 

  
  


Sirius sat on one of the overstuffed couches, near the fire, his arms crossed over his chest, looking utterly pissed off. Darwin slowly walked over and took a seat next to him. Neither said anything for a moment.

  
  


"So, how was detention?" Sirius spat.

  
  


"I told you. Boring." In truth, Darwin was a little surprised by his demeanor. He had never really spoken to her like this before, and as can be expected, she didn't really appreciate it."Sirius, what's wrong? And don't say 'nothing', because I know something's bothering you.

"

"What's it to you?"

  
  


"Oh, I don't know. You're my best friend, I've known you since childhood, I kind of, oh, I don't know, care about you. Take your pick." She said in a very controlled voice. 

  
  


Sirius said nothing, just glared into the dying fire. 

  
  


"Sirius, does this have something to do with Remus?" She inquired quietly

  
  


Sirius heaved a big sigh. 

  
  


"Look," He began, his voice had softened and he seemed apologetic. " I know I've been an ass recently, but it's just because I'm worried about you. Yes, this has something to do with Remus."

  
  


Darwin couldn't speak for a moment. Worried about what? What could he possibly have against Remus?

  
  


"What could you possibly have to be worried about? What does Remus have to do with anything?" She asked, her throat feeling oddly tight. 

  
  


Sirius gave another sigh. 

  
  


"I've noticed you've gotten kind of chummy with Remus lately, but it's just, I don't know, I can't really explain." He seemed to think for a moment. "There are things you don't know about him."

  
  


"Like what?"

  
  


"It's not important."

  
  


"Obviously it is."

  
  


"Look, Darwin, you have to trust me on this." Sirius sighed, massaging his temples. "Don't date him. I will only cause--problems. I'm not saying this to be a jerk, I'm just looking out for your best interest."

  
  


Darwin, inexplicably, began to feel pricks of anger. It took a lot of control not to yell when she spoke next. 

  
  


"I appreciate that, Sirius, but I'm not a little girl. I can look out for myself." She paused for effect. "I really like him."

  
  


Sirius closed his eyes and sighed one more time. 

"Why did it have to be you?" He asked, more to himself, quietly.

  
  


"What was that?"

  
  


"Nothing."

  
  


"Sirius, I really can't understand why you have such a problem with me dating Remus." She maintained. "He's a really great person, you of all people should know that. I've never had a serious relationship before, and I don't care what you say, it's partly because every guy at this school is afraid you'll beat them up if they even talk to me." She choked the last few words out. She was on the verge of tears. 

  
  


"You know it's only because I want to protect you."

  
  


"I know, and I really do appreciate it. But sometimes I worry that I'll end up an old maid, all alone, the way things are going." Darwin couldn't help it, by now, she was in tears. 

  
  


A look of guilt passed over Sirius' face and he wrapped her in a warm hug, rocking her gently and rubbing her back. She felt very small against him, and hid her face from him. She hated it when he saw her cry. Sirius was a tough guy, but he was also capable of surprising sensitivity.

  
  


"You know that's not going to happen." He whispered softly. "You're going to find the man you love, get married, and have lots of babies. All of whom, I might add, will know at least ten curse words before their first birthday, thanks to me.

  
  


"Remus is a great guy, and I know it. It's just that I know him better then you do and--ugh." He heaved in frustration. 

  
  


Darwin turned her red, teary face upward to look at him.

  
  


"Why can't you tell me?" She asked meekly. 

  
  


Sirius gave her a searching look. 

  
  


"I just can't." He said, resigned. "If he thinks it's right, he'll tell you everything."

  
  


Darwin sniffed and whipped her nose with her shirt cuff. 

  
  


"Okay." She said in a small voice. "Are you going to be okay now? No more being a jackass?"

  
  


"I promise." To say this looked like it cost him a lot of effort.

"So you're not going to give Remus the third degree and threaten to punch his lights out?"

  
  


"Are you kidding?! I'm going to watch him like a hawk. He better not lay a hand on you before your third date, he better be a complete gentleman at all times, and I better not ever catch him in your room."

  
  


"Sirius!"

  
  


"And another thing, he's not to gratuitously kiss you in public, and in private, absolutely no tongue, young lady. You may hold hands in public, if you wish."

  
  


"Sirius, this is ridiculous!"

  
  


"And if I see one hickey on your neck, that's it. He's dead."

  
  


"Sirius, don't be-"

  
  


"Oh, and one more thing, absolutely no sex. I wonder if we can find you a chastity belt somewhere, just to be on the safe side."

  
  


Darwin slapped him in the arm.

  
  


"This, coming from the most notorious womanizer Hogwarts has to offer. Honestly, it's really none of your business." She chided, but couldn't keep from laughing. Sirius could really be adorable sometimes. 

  
  


"Oh it isn't, is it?" He asked in disbelief.

  
  


"Sirius, you promised!"

  
  


"I promised to stop being a jackass. I didn't promise to stop being invasive and bothersome."

  
  


"I'm going to bed." Darwin told him as she stood and began shuffling off to bed.

  
  


"Hey, don't I get to kiss you goodnight? It's tradition." Sirius called.

  
  


"If you want me to be all pure and chaste then you can't kiss me. God knows where your mouth has been."

  
  


With that, Darwin climbed the stairs to the sounds of Sirius' laughter. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  


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A/N: *sheepish grin* I never even realized that I had anonymous reviews disabled, but Invader Iggle just graciously informed me that they were, and the problem is fixed now. Don't I feel like a dolt, complaining about not getting reviews.....yes, I'm an idiot. ANYWAY, what did you guys think of the last chapter? I'm getting the impression that people aren't really jiving with my portrayal of Remus, and that's cool. I appreciate the constructive criticism. But on the other hand, I didn't want to make him quiet, shy and bookish like he is in every other Marauder- era fic ever written. The way I see it, to roll with the Marauders, he'd have to have a rambunctious streak :-). I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but this is going to be a loooooong fic, wherein the characters will play romantic musical chairs ;-) Oh! One more thing, is everyone liking/getting the Monty Python thing? I didn't want to over do it, for those who haven't seen Python (and really, there must be what? Two, three of you? j/k ;-), but I just couldn't resist. Well, until next time, toodles! :-)


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: The usual thing. J.K.R. is really good at this whole 'creativity' thing and I'm not.  
  
  
  
You know, I just realized something---- I haven't responded to any of my lovely reviews! :-) Ready, okay  
  
Highwayman's Lass- My first reviewer! You are so cool.  
  
Invader Iggle- A conscious effort to review this story? That's totally awesome, THANK YOU!  
  
I've suddenly been struck with laziness, so I'm just going to say HUGE thank yous and dead parrots and killer rabbits to everyone else! And now, on with the show!  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Darwin awoke feeling content, glad that she hadn't slept in. The dormitory she shared with Lily, as well as Rosemary Banks, Holly Sullivan and Heather Roberts, the other sixth year Gryffindor girls, was not yet stirring. Darwin had long ago accepted the fact that she was the only Gryffindor girl of her year not named after a flower and felt content in the fact that, at least, she was still named after a notable scientist. Darwin could see that the other four girls slept softly in their beds while warm yellow beams of bright sunshine shone through the opened window curtains, illuminating little motes of dust that floated in the air. This relative peace would soon be broken as the other girls awoke, rushing all about, getting ready for the day, making sure, not that they were on time, but that they looked good.   
  
But for now, all was quiet and Darwin could enjoy the inviting silence of the room. As of yet, she still had not had the time to tell the others of what she had overheard the morning previous, and made a mental note to do so. She hoped they wouldn't feel that she was overreacting, but, knowing her friends, they would. However, she couldn't help feeling that there was an undeniable threat, just waiting to unmask itself, lurking in the school. Something beyond just Malfoy and Snape, something more dangerous. Truly, she had no reason to feel this way. Before the previous morning, anything and everything connected with the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort had existed solely outside of the school. The threat was to the Wizarding community, not Hogwarts. At times, Hogwarts almost seemed to exist on it's own, a safe haven, away from all the grief and pain of the world.   
  
Darwin yawned, stretched and looked around the room as if she has never seen it before. All her dorm mates, including herself, were very messy, save Holly. Clothes were strewn everywhere in little piles, school robes and ties hung from bedposts, and the floor itself was barely visible. That is, except around Holly's bed. The fifth of the room which was hers was spotless and a halo of clean, clear floor surrounded her bed. She was the only one in the dorm who took the time to fold her clothes and put away all her effects. It was a constant point of argument between her, Lily and Darwin, who's beds were located on either side of Holly's, that the belongings and general clutter of Lily and Darwin always seemed to encroach on Holly's immaculate neatness.   
  
Darwin suddenly realized that, since she was up early, she could get into the loo, adjacent to the dorm, before the other girls awoke and made a mad rush to get there first. She rolled out of bed and shuffled over, dragging her feet all the way. She took a quick shower and then went about her normal morning routine. By the time she was finished, the other girls were up and there was a general sense of chaos in the dorm, as there was every morning. Clothes were being tossed across the room, as there was a communal sharing of everything the girls owned, someone was frantically looking for something, someone else was asking if this makeup went with that one and someone else was asking if they looked fat in this skirt. The other girls didn't require as much privacy as Darwin liked and the door to the loo was left open and the other girls all walked casually in and out while they did the various things they always did in the morning.  
  
  
  
Darwin sat on her bed, quite removed from the situation. As of late she found that she had quite a lot on her mind. Other than pondering the relative threat posed to Hogwarts by an outside, or inside, danger, there was Remus and Sirius. Remus, for once, was probably the easier to decipher. Not to sound conceited, but she could tell that he had an interest in her. She would always catch him looking at her, giving her little, shy smiles and she was more than happy to return the favour. Not only that, she was incredibly flattered. To her knowledge, and every other girl that Darwin had ever heard consider the issue, she was the first girl that the ever-desirable Remus Lupin had shown a strong interest in. This, as can be expected, had increased Darwin's self-confidence, even though the interest Remus had been showing in her had only been evident in the past few days. Usually, Darwin was not so easily given in to fickle tendencies, but there was something so genuine about Remus that she couldn't resist. Then there was Sirius, her best friend who, up until recent events, had been the person she felt she understood best in the world. Sirius was now prone to giving her sly smiles and flirtatious winks, more so than usual, and with more conviction. He seemed more distant on a personal level, but much closer on a flirtatious one. In short, she couldn't understand him and hoped it was just a phase.   
  
Darwin soon grew tired of watching her friends fret over trivial things as they got ready for the day and decided to make her way down to the common room on her own. As she made her way down, she could feel Hogwarts coming to life around her. As she passed the doors to the other Gryffindor girls' dormitories, it seemed to Darwin that every girl in the school fretted over the same trivial things that her friends did and she momentarily felt like an outsider.   
  
When she reached the common room she found that it was empty except for Peter, who sat in one of the overstuffed chairs closest to the fireplace, dejectedly writing on a scrap piece of paper. She walked over.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked, not particularly interested but wanting to avoid an awkward silence. She really didn't know Peter all that well. They were really more of acquaintances. They could talk politely about a variety of things, but they never joked around with each other, and Darwin never really felt comfortable around Peter. There was just something about him that made her feel uneasy.  
  
"I'm-er- writing something, for Michelle."He said in a rush, not looking up from the parchment. Michelle Quinn was Peter's girlfriend of nearly two years and Peter had the distinction of being the only Marauder who could maintain a relationship longer than a month, although, Darwin was sure that Remus could too, if he wanted. Michelle was a shy girl who resided in Slytherin House, although she did not seem to blatantly embody any of the qualities which made the House famous, or, in some cases, infamous. From observing the couple at the odd time, Darwin surmised that their relationship lasted because of one thing, which was that they were both quite submissive people and they rarely disagreed and never argued. They seemed happy to agree with one another on almost everything, and when they were together, if one of them was asked a question, they would have to consult the other for the answer. Overall though, Michelle was a sweet girl and even Sirius didn't make jokes about the fact that she was a Slytherin.   
  
"That's sweet." Darwin told, assuming that Peter was making some dismal attempt to write poetry or some such nonsense for his girlfriend. Darwin found that she really wanted to avoid an awkward silence and searched for something else to say. "How are things? I mean, with you and Michelle?" She asked finally.  
  
"Oh, good, same as always. What about you and Remus?" He asked this in a very offhand manner, but for a moment, Darwin was quite taken aback. Up until then, she had never really thought that she and Remus had a "relationship" and the implications of such a thing had never occurred to her before. Relationships, to Darwin, had always seemed a tricky thing. When they became even moderately serious, they became synonymous with the people involved, were the speculation of all those not involved and were often inquired politely about by people who had nothing better to ask. Still, having a significant other in a romantic sense appealed to Darwin, especially as the person in question was Remus.  
  
"Good." She replied in the same offhand manner.   
  
It was at that time that Sirius and James bounded into the common room with an energy that seemed almost out of place as it was still fairly early in the morning. They were followed by Remus, who was more reserved but still seemed to have a sunny disposition.   
  
"Darwin!"James shouted. "Long time no see."  
  
"Er....hardly, James."Darwin replied. Within moments, James saw Peter and so ensued a grappling fight between the two to determine wether or not Peter would be able to maintain possession of what he was writing to Michelle.  
  
  
  
"Morning."Sirius said and gave Darwin a quick peck on the cheek. She was thankful that he seemed to be acting quite normally this morning, especially since Remus was close by. Sirius soon joined James in his attempts to get whatever it was Peter had been writing.   
  
This left Darwin and Remus to themselves, and Darwin, for one, didn't mind. Remus didn't seem to either. He walked over to her, flashing her a shy, but ever-endearing, smile.  
  
"Did you sleep well?" He asked.  
  
"Like a baby. You?"  
  
"Pretty well. I had a few things on my mind," He paused to look at her for a moment, his eyes reflecting the bright morning light. "But I slept well, none the less."  
  
There was something about Remus that was just electric, and whenever he spoke to her, Darwin always found that his voice sent shivers down her spine.   
  
"So, what is it you have planned for Saturday?" She asked, hopeful that he would reveal something.   
  
"I've already told you, you'll just have to wait and see." Obviously, his lips were sealed.   
  
At that moment, Holly, Heather and Rosemary were walking through the common room, most likely on their way to breakfast. As they passed Remus and Darwin, their eyes flickered first, almost longingly, to Remus, and then, almost in unison, the girls noticed Darwin, and their eyes grew wide. Darwin had not yet told anyone, save Lily, about her and Remus, because of the simple fact that she knew her friends too well. She knew that they would either become immensely jealous, and she might lose their friendship, or that they would constantly badger Darwin to introduce them to Remus and have him spend time with them. Both were undesirable situations, and as she and Remus hadn't even gone out on their first date, which afforded the possibility that things might not work out, she wanted to avoid telling her friends until things were more certain.  
  
As soon as the girls passed Darwin and Remus, they erupted into a fit of suppressed giggles and whispers.   
  
Darwin was quite shocked to see Remus roll his eyes.   
  
"I hate it when girls act like that."  
  
Darwin gave a laugh.  
  
"I've just gained some valuable insight into the enigmatic Remus Lupin— he doesn't like silly girls."  
  
"I've never really thought of it that way, but yes, I suppose you're right." It seemed to Darwin that it might have been one of the first times Remus truly considered what it was that he looked for in the opposite sex.  
  
"And that's way you like me so much. I'm un-silly." She said with sarcastic arrogance.  
  
  
  
Remus gave her a slight smile and met her eyes with his.   
  
"Yes, but that's only part of the reason."   
  
Darwin could feel herself beginning to blush under his gaze and it was at that moment that Lily, who had impeccable timing, arrived.   
  
"Aw, are the two love birds being all lovey-dovey?" She cooed. Darwin quickly decided that Lily had good timing, but no tact.   
  
"Bugger off." Was Darwin's reply, Remus only laughed.   
  
"Well look who decides to come down and join us." James, who had given up on trying to get Peter's letter, began. He seemed to find genuine joy in teasing Lily. "We've been waiting and waiting, while you made yourself beautiful....well, tried to, anyway." James gave a rolling laugh and quickly ducked out of the way of Lily's fist.   
  
As the group was now assembled, they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. On their way there, Darwin finally began to tell the others what she had overheard Snape and Malfoy saying. As could be expected, the reactions of all those present varied greatly. Remus again voiced his opinion, only this time he was joined by Peter, who was also a pureblood, that there was nothing to worry about.  
  
"Like I said before, "Remus began quietly. "I really don't think it's something you need to get worked up about."   
  
"I agree." Peter piped up. "There's always been a really small group of extremists within the Wizarding community, for as long as I can remember."   
  
Darwin considered this for a moment.  
  
"I suppose........but I just can't help thinking....." She trailed off, uncertain of what she was truly afraid of.   
  
By now they had reached the Great Hall, which was buzzing with activity. Bright light was streaming into the Hall, giving everything a warm glow. Some students, who were obviously morning people, were busy loudly chatting about the upcoming day, as well as the random piece of gossip that was making the rounds. To bring balance to the scene, there were also quite a few students who looked as though they had just rolled out of bed and were barely awake. A few looked as though they might still be asleep, with their heads lying on the table in front of them.   
  
Darwin and the others took seats at the Gryffindor table, near the back of the Hall. Presently, Darwin was sitting in between Sirius and Remus and, unexpectedly, she felt rather uncomfortable. There was something wrong between Remus and Sirius, but it was lying just beneath the surface, impossible to decipher or understand. They weren't speaking, although neither projected open dislike or hatred, but none the less, there was a definite tension. She glanced to either side, Sirius was engaged in an animated discussion with James, while Remus was quietly speaking with Lily. Upon closer inspection, Darwin found that Sirius and James were making light of the possible ability of anyone such as Snape or Malfoy being able to pull off a secret ploy to bring harm to anyone in the school. Darwin found it slightly odd that Sirius was not taking this opportunity to again expound his hatred for Snape, but she truly didn't feel like pushing the subject. On her other side, she found that Remus was quietly reassuring Lily, telling her much the same thing he had told Darwin. Darwin had assumed that Lily, being Muggle born, would react the same way she had.   
  
For now though, the issue seemed to have passed, and the morning's conversation was moving to more ordinary things, which inevitably meant Quidditch. Darwin was just in the middle of taking a sip of pumpkin juice when Sirius wrapped his arm around her shoulders, while never breaking his conversation with James. Darwin coughed on the juice in her throat and quickly set her drink down.   
  
Sirius turned to look at her, the ever-charming smile present on his face. Darwin only gave him a baleful look.  
  
"I'm sorry." He whimpered, making puppy dog eyes. "But I just wanted to ask if you were coming to our Quidditch practice this Sunday."  
  
"You know, you could've just asked, you didn't have to try and choke me." Darwin was trying to be angry, but Sirius was just too loveable.  
  
"I wasn't trying to choke you. Why would I do that? So....are you coming?" He pleaded.  
  
  
  
"I don't know, I have a lot of work to do----" She began, but James cut in.  
  
"Come on! Remus will be there." He said suggestively.   
  
Sirius said nothing, but the loose grip he had on Darwin's shoulder tightened.   
  
Peter gave a laugh.  
  
"James, I don't think embarrassing her will get her to show up."  
  
James looked indignant.   
  
"That wasn't embarrassing–"  
  
"Then why don't you ask Lily to come?" Peter shot back. For once it seemed as though he had gotten the better of James.   
  
James made a strangled noise and then cleared his throat.   
  
"Lils? Come to the practice? Please? Oh, and bring Darwin along too."  
  
Lily blushed and then mumbled "Sure, okay, fine."  
  
When the conversation had moved to another topic, Darwin turned around, almost timidly, to look at Remus. She gave him a little smile, which he returned, and she looked from Sirius' hand on her shoulder to Remus almost apologetically. Thankfully, Remus seemed to understand.   
  
Soon, breakfast was over and the day rolled on, everyone being content in the routines of normal life.  
  
****************************  
  
The rest of the week flew by in a flash and before Darwin knew it, it was half past seven on Saturday night and she still wasn't ready for her date with Remus, although it wasn't for lack of trying. Most of the time, Darwin considered makeup and hair to be trivial things, but on this particular occasion, they seemed to be of almost monumental importance. For once in her life, she wished she knew more about makeup, clothes and hair, what looked good, what didn't, etc., etc. She was nervous, more nervous then she would've expected. She really felt a pressing need to look good and impress Remus, although he hardly seemed like a person that needed to be impressed, but the more she tried, the worse things got. Her makeup was smudged and messy, her hair kept falling out place, and every outfit she tried on just didn't look right. She looked at her reflection in Heather's full-length mirror and felt sick to her stomach. Of course, it was just her luck that all her dorm mates weren't around, although in Lily's case, it didn't really matter as she was just as useless as Darwin was when it came to cosmetics.   
  
As cosmetics weren't a large part of her life, she had never taken the time to learn any spells that might make her current task easier, so she was stuck doing everything the Muggle way. Presently, she was valiantly attempting to make her hair look presentable, but the process wasn't being helped by the way her arms were getting achy and sore by having them raised above her head for so long.  
  
Soon, she got so frustrated that she was beginning to seriously consider just calling the whole thing off, when there was a slight knock at the door.  
  
"Come in." She called, agitated.   
  
She hoped that it would someone, preferably Rosemary, who would be able to help her out of her current predicament, but instead, she got Sirius.   
  
He glided across the dorm, glancing around with slight interest. For some reason, he didn't look at all out of place here, like he knew this type of surrounding all too well.   
  
"Remus is beginning to get worried." Sirius began and he seemed, somehow, detached from what he was saying. "He's starting to think that you don't love him anymore." He finished with a little more sarcasm than Darwin would've liked, and in her current state, she was more irritable than normal.  
  
"Sirius." She snapped. "Could you drop it please?"  
  
Sirius jumped slightly, quickly taking his eyes from a bra lying on the ground to face her.   
  
"What's wrong?" He asked and he seemed to truly notice her for the first time.   
  
"Nothing."  
  
  
  
A pause, wherein she told herself not to get upset, but it didn't work.  
  
"Oh, everything is wrong. I look awful and I'm as nervous as hell." As she spoke, surprisingly, her throat began to constrict and her eyes began to prick with tears. She plopped down on the nearest bed and gave a deep sigh.   
  
"You never look awful." She heard Sirius say, but it didn't seem as though he were talking to her. He came and sat down next to her on the bed.  
  
"Don't get upset. I'll help you get ready." He said brightly.  
  
Darwin was skeptical and showed it by raising an eyebrow.   
  
"Really. I will. I know more about girls and the stuff they do than most girls do." He tried helpfully.  
  
Darwin was dubious, but at the same time, she was profoundly grateful for the trust she and Sirius shared which allowed her to avoid feeling embarrassed in this situation.  
  
"I suppose it's worth a shot. I'll be right back." She called as she left to go wash her face. When she came back, she saw Sirius sitting on her bed, pawing through her makeup. At any other time, it was a sight which would have made her laugh hysterically, seeing as how Sirius always projected a such manly image.  
  
  
  
"This," He began, referring to a golden eyeshadow. "Will compliment the colour of your eyes and this," He said, referring to some blush. "Will give you a nice healthy glow."  
  
In spite of herself, Darwin began to laugh.  
  
"I can't believe that Sirius I'm-such-a-tough-guy Black just said that to me." She was beginning to feel better already.  
  
"Oh come off it. It's alright for every bloke to get in tough with his feminine side once in awhile."  
  
"Yes, but using phrases like 'healthy glow' is just odd."  
  
"Look, do you want my help or not.?" He threatened playfully.  
  
"Alright, alright." She said as she came to sit down on the bed, opposite Sirius.   
  
"Okay, close your eyes." He told her. She complied and a moment later, she felt one of Sirius' hands cup her chin and tilt her head slightly upward. He had long, powerful fingers which covered the whole length of her jaw bone and his hands were, thankfully, very warm. She could feel him gently applying the makeup to her eyes, and she got the distinct impression that he had leaned his face close to hers because she could feel a few slight, warm breaths against her face. For reasons she did not know, this made her slightly uneasy.   
  
"Done." He said proudly. "Now for the blush."   
  
He applied this very quickly, in only a few strokes. Then he moved on to lipstick, which he applied with very enduring concentration. When he was finished, she was told to press her lips together to "make them look even". As she did this, Sirius' eyes were transfixed on her lips. The entire time, Darwin had to fight to suppress a smile.   
  
"Now for your hair." He gave her a cheeky grin and scooted across the bed so that he was sitting behind her. With practiced ease he loosed her hair from the messy bun that Darwin had put it in. He began to run his fingers through her hair, presumably to rid it of tangles. It was at that moment that Darwin realized that she had a very sensitive scalp. The feeling of Sirius' fingers running through her hair, gently tugging on it, was almost intoxicating. It created a tingling, pleasant sensation that could only be created by someone other than herself. Darwin had the suspicion that Sirius knew exactly what he was doing.   
  
He continued this for a few moments, with Darwin concentrating solely on the feeling his fingers were creating, until he abruptly stopped. Darwin nearly protested, but caught herself before she said anything. Sirius rested his head on her shoulder, his mouth next to her ear.  
  
"Why not just leave it down?" He questioned. His voice was low, and soft, and the close proximity of his mouth to her ear made his voice sound deeper than usual. "It looks so nice this way." As he spoke, his breath tickled the hair surrounding her ear, which sent a slight shiver through her.   
  
"Sure," She managed to say. "That's fine. But what am I going to wear?" As soon as she finished saying the words, she regretted them. Sirius' face swung into view. He cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"Why not just go naked?" He all but purred. He was joking, she knew, but there was something in the way his eyes shone that made her feel slightly uneasy, but sent a shiver down her spine at the same time.   
  
"I think that might embarrass Remus, not to mention me, a little too much." She replied.  
  
Sirius shrugged.  
  
"Suit yourself."  
  
He rolled off the bed and sauntered over to her closet. He began to leaf through the clothes hanging there while Darwin waited patiently. She prayed Remus wouldn't be angry with her for making him wait so long.   
  
Eventually, after much indecision and a few laughs, Sirius had found something he liked. He had chosen a long black skirt and----no, not that, anything but that.  
  
"Sirius, I am not wearing that sweater." She told him flatly.   
  
"Why not? It's nice."  
  
She had bought the item in question on impulse while on a shopping trip in London during the summer. It was a pale pink sweater, with a high neck that all but screamed "prude", and it left little to the imagination as it was two sizes too small.   
  
"Sirius, I hate that thing. I don't even know why I brought it here." She nearly whined.   
  
"Come on, it's nice and it doesn't show any skin, so you won't be giving Remus the wrong impression." He pleaded. Once again, his over-protectiveness was more enduring than irritating and Darwin soon gave in.   
  
"Fine." She relented.   
  
He gave her a bright smile and tossed the clothes over to her. He turned his back so that she could change with relative privacy.   
  
At any other time, this would have been a common, comfortable occurrence, but Sirius' actions of late were having an odd effect on Darwin. She felt odd changing with him in the room, but dared not say anything. Soon though, she decided there was nothing for it, as Remus was waiting downstairs, and she began to undress.  
  
"So, what are you two doing tonight?" Sirius asked, as comfortable as ever.   
  
"I'm not sure." She began, but paused as she pulled her shirt over her head. "He hasn't told me yet." She removed the skirt she had been wearing and it soon lay in a pile on the floor.  
  
"You'll probably like whatever it is he has planned. Remus is just fun like that." Sirius didn't seem particularly interested in the conversation and was probably only maintaining it out of boredom. For Darwin, it prevented the situation from becoming awkward. Darwin slipped into the black skirt Sirius had picked out and deftly pulled the zipper up in the back.  
  
"I hope so." She replied.   
  
"So what do you think of Remus? Is he the one?" Sirius asked, some of his prior sarcasm returning.   
  
"I don't know. I don't really know him. Yet." She felt a little vindictive, adding that last word, but she felt that Sirius had it coming. She pulled the pink sweater over her head and then into place and immediately, it felt as though her chest had been encased in a corset. "Okay, I'm done. You can turn around."  
  
As Sirius turned, he had a rather distant look on his face, which flickered to momentary surprise when he saw Darwin.   
  
"It's really tight----I mean, it's really nice." It was one of the few times that Darwin saw Sirius flustered.   
  
"Thanks."  
  
She walked carefully over to the full-length mirror, to give herself a final inspection. She had to admit, Sirius did know his stuff. Her makeup, hair and outfit really work well together, and even though the sweater looked as though it had been painted on, the flowing skirt compensated for it. She fixed a few out of place strands of hair and was just about to go when Sirius came up behind her and leaned his head on her shoulder, his firm chest pressing into her back.   
  
"You look really good." He told her, their eyes meeting via their reflection in the mirror. His eyes flickered hungrily from her face to her body and Darwin could feel her cheeks start to burn.   
  
"Well, have fun." He said simply. He turned his head, and gave her the traditional peck on the cheek, however, this time, it was different. His lips paused on her skin, then relaxed. He kissed her cheek again, and as he did so, he watched her out of the corner of his eye, presumably for a reaction. When she did not protest, he kissed her cheek again and again and then started to trail slow, gentle kisses down the side of her face.  
  
To say the least, Darwin was shocked, so shocked that she couldn't react. All she could do was mindlessly stare at their reflection in the mirror. He continued kissing her, but now his lips had made their way to her jawbone. His lips were soft and warm and they held an expertise that was enticing and which awakened the dormant curiosity that Darwin had held for some time concerning all sexual things.   
  
The sexual tension which had existed between Sirius and Darwin, which Darwin had refused to acknowledge until this point, was back with a vengeance. As Sirius' lips made their way to the top of her neck, his kisses becoming more forceful, he wrapped his arms tightly about her waist. As she stared at their reflection in the mirror, in spite of herself, she found herself wondering about things, things that she was too embarrassed to talk about out loud and things that were a great mystery to her. She found herself wondering about sex and everything that went with, and most surprisingly of all, she found herself wondering about not only what sex was like, but what sex would be like with Sirius.  
  
  
  
She was brought out of her reverie by Sirius, tightening his grip about her waist, and running one hand smoothly up her side, getting dangerously close to her breasts, a land where no man had gone before. His lips, and she was sure of it, his tongue were moving quickly now and he was soon nibbling and licking at her ear. He muttered her name and her knees literally felt weak. He began running his fingers through her hair and she knew she had never felt so good.   
  
Overall though, Darwin felt somehow removed from the situation. This was not her best friend since childhood, this was someone else. He was someone else and so was she. He was the desirable playboy who wanted nothing more than to get into a girl's panties, a bastion of sexual knowledge and desire, and she was the popular, beautiful girl that Sirius never seemed to have a problem attracting and then using. She was mesmerized and intrigued by the sight before her and she felt utterly powerless to stop it.   
  
Sirius' lips had made another journey down her neck, and they were now again at her ear.  
  
"Darwin, I want–" He began, but then there was a knock at the door. With that knock, reality came crashing back. Sirius stepped soundlessly away from her, as though nothing had happened. He was back to being her childhood friend and she was no longer the desirable popular girl. Remus was waiting downstairs in the common room and someone was at the door.   
  
"Come in!" Darwin called.  
  
James poked his head around and the corner and looked rather surprised to find Sirius there.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He asked.  
  
"Getting in touch with my feminine side." Sirius replied with a smirk.  
  
"I thought about trying that once, but then I knew everyone would think I was gay."  
  
Sirius gave a laugh and with that he shuffled out of the room with a backward glance.   
  
"Er, Darwin?" James prodded. "You okay?"  
  
Darwin's face was red and her breathing a little hurried.   
  
"Yeah, fine."  
  
"You know, Remus is sweating bullets down there."  
  
"Oh, sorry, I'm coming now."  
  
She hurried out of the room, already planning her apology to Remus.   
  
A/N: I'm really glad everyone liked the background on Sirius and Darwin, as well as the Monty Python thing. Yes, so, Sirius finally got some play, but you wanna know what I'm waiting for? Remus to get some nookie! That's going to be fun to write cause he's going to be all befuddled and such. Ooops, have I said too much? Probably not. Again, thank you ever so much for the lovely reviews and I'm sorry this chapter took so long.If you're interested in seeing my *cough*crapp*cough* cartoon versions of Sirius, Darwin and Remus, just go into my profile and follow the link to my homepage. I'd post the URL here, but FF.net won't let me*tear*. Until next, toodles.:-) 


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter 8  
  
Contrary to what James had told her, upon reaching the common room, Darwin found that Remus hadn't been "sweating bullets" and was instead, quite calmly put together. He sat on a sofa located in a corner of the room and he was playing a game of chess with Peter. He looked as though he was winning. James was there too, giving not-so-helpful advice, like telling Peter to have all his pieces attack at once so as to annihilate Remus' forces. Sirius was leaning against a nearby wall, removed from the situation.  
  
"James!" Peter whined. "I'm trying to concentrate."  
  
"Like I said before, I'm helping."  
  
"No you aren't."  
  
"Are."  
  
"Aren't."  
  
Darwin walked over, almost self-consciously. There was something about the four of them when they were together, something that just removed them from their surroundings and made approaching or joining them difficult. As soon as she reached them, Remus looked up from the chess board while Peter continued to consider his next move.  
  
  
  
"Sorry I took so long. I ran into some technical difficulties." She apologized. She still felt a little confused and flustered from what had happened with Sirius and just thinking about it made her feel uneasy.   
  
"Don't worry about it. These two are always entertaining." Remus gave her a warm smile and she immediately forgot about Sirius.   
  
"My mum says I'm obnoxious." This was from James, who looked rather proud.   
  
"Should we go?" Remus asked. Even though he seemed to enjoy the company of his friends, it was obvious that there was something amiss between him and Sirius which was making him feel uncomfortable.   
  
"Yes, please." Darwin replied, relieved.   
  
James stood and slapped Remus on the back.  
  
  
  
"Go away a boy, come back a man." He intoned.   
  
"Sod off." Remus called as he looped his arm around Darwin's and they began walking away.  
  
  
  
They left the common room to James' catcalls, interchanged with rather inappropriate comments, and were soon making their way down the staircases, which were being rather playful, at times moving half-way to a new spot, then changing their minds, and coming back. This was hardly perplexing as there was no rush to get somewhere.   
  
"So, will you tell me where we're going yet?" Darwin asked hopefully.  
  
"I should think not. We're almost there and it'll ruin the surprise." Remus told her. "You look great, by the way."  
  
"Thanks." She replied quietly. She momentarily thought about adding in the fact that Sirius had helped her get ready, but decided that would just make things a little awkward.   
  
They continued to walk through the castle, which was slowly unwinding from the day. Some of the figures in the portraits were already sleeping, some of the lights in a few of the hallways had been extinguished, and instead of the constant babble of voices that one would hear during the day, there was only the occasional murmur and the sound of doors softly opening and closing far off.  
  
  
  
Remus and Darwin talked about a variety of things, the conversation flowing easily from topic to topic. Darwin found that she felt as though she could literally tell Remus anything. He seemed so nonjudgmental and open that any guard that she might've had in place soon disappeared. He was just one of the girls, in a very non-homosexual, attractive way.  
  
They made their way down to the entrance of the castle and just before they walked outside, Remus quickly darted his eyes to Darwin, the shyness evident all over his face, and then took her hand in his. She gave his hand an encouraging squeeze and smiled up at him.  
  
"You're quite new to this, aren't you?" She asked bluntly.  
  
"Is it that obvious?" He asked.  
  
"Well, at first, considering the reputation you have with the female population, I would say no. But throughout this whole episode of courting, if you could call it that, it's become quite apparent." Darwin told him in a way she hoped didn't make him feel demeaned.   
  
"Well, it's the truth, to be honest. I've never actually had a girlfriend." He didn't really seem ashamed or embarrassed as he said this, he was just simply stating a fact.  
  
Oddly enough, it didn't come as a surprise to Darwin.  
  
"Oh well. I've only ever had the odd fling. Never ever anything remotely serious. Sirius made sure of that. Besides, it's no matter, really. It's not like anyone is it in to get married. Not yet, anyway. Have you ever fancied a girl though?"She asked.  
  
Remus gave a chuckle.  
  
"'Course I have. Quite a few, actually. I'm no poofter. Although, I doubt you think that anyway." He gave her hand a small squeeze and moved his thumb in a few small circles on the back of her hand.   
  
Darwin momentarily considered asking him about his level of experience with girls, but quickly decided against it. That, she thought, might truly embarrass him if the answer was that his experience was not very extensive, which was quite possible.  
  
It was just beginning to get dark outside, and the grounds had a very empty, solemn look. A few trees in the Forbidden Forest swayed gently in the wind far off and there was the odd sound of waves lapping against rocks coming from the lake. They continued to walk, his hand feeling like a warm glove around hers, and eventually she found that he was leading her to the Quidditch pitch.   
  
"Are we going where I think we're going?"She asked.  
  
"Dunno. Where do you think we're heading?" He asked, cracking a smile.   
  
"Quidditch pitch?"  
  
"Bang on."  
  
"I don't think I ever told you this, but I'm an awful flier." She said.   
  
"Really? Just dreadful, then?" He seemed rather amused.  
  
"That. But I also hate flying." Which was true. Sirius flew enough, and risked serious bodily harm, for the both of them.   
  
"Well, I guess you'll just have to hold on tight then." He gave a laugh.  
  
"Gripping a wobbly wooden stick way up in the air doesn't exactly make me feel secure." She told him, giving him a little shove.  
  
"I didn't mean the broom." He dropped his voice and gave her a little wink.  
  
"Why you sly little-"  
  
"Hey, hey, none of that. Play nice."  
  
He led her to the players' entrance which was a small wooden door located on the north end of the pitch. Although nearly everyone knew where this door was, very few actually passed through it. The Quidditch teams were notorious for pulling pranks, particularly the Gryffindor team, and the students who had been the victims of said pranks would often try to exact their revenge on the Quidditch team when they were in the change room after a game. Hence, the doorway had been hexed a multitude of times, but of course, Remus was in on it and knew the counter spells.  
  
They walked down a wide passage way, lit by a few random torches, with long, dark shadows dancing on the vaulted ceiling.  
  
"This place is cheerful." She commented.  
  
"It's not so bad during the day. Ah, here we are." He said as they reached another door, which resembled the one which they had entered through. "Our locker room." He gave her a smile.  
  
She returned it easily. "You know how many girls would kill to be me right now?"  
  
"Quite a few?" He asked, but didn't really seem interested in the answer.  
  
  
  
He led her into the room, which, admittedly, didn't smell all that great and muttered 'Lumos' quietly. His wand sprang to life to illuminate a rather cluttered room, filled with Quidditch equipment, dirty jerseys, benches and lockers. He walked over to one of these, which Darwin assumed was his, and pulled out a very sharp looking broom. His locker, unlike any of the others, was organized nicely.   
  
"Here we are." He said. "Really though, I can't understand what all these silly girls think is so spectacular about our locker room. It's just a big mess."   
  
"I don't think it's so much the room, as it is it's occupants. Especially if it's after a game - you know, some girls find sweaty, tired men very attractive." She teased.   
  
"Honestly? I'm surprised that girls actually talk about that sort of thing. I thought it was just the lads that did that. Case in point, some of the conversations concerning girls that happen in this place are just ridiculous."  
  
Darwin gave a long laugh. "Of course girls talk about that sort of thing. Well, not so much me in particular, but anyway, ridiculous, how so?"   
  
He looked like he was considering telling her, but then decided against it. "Just ridiculous, perverted things."  
  
They returned to the corridor and continued walking, passing several more doors on the way. When they reached the pitch, they, as Darwin expected, found it completely deserted.   
  
She had only ever been on the actual pitch a few times, most often to congratulate Sirius after a game. Ever time she was on it though, she was always amazed at how much larger it seemed from this point of view. When she was sitting in the stands, she had no idea of the feeling of endless, open space one had, or of the way the stands looked so small and distant. Now that she thought about it though, she realized that she had never been on the pitch when it was completely empty. Of course, this made it seem much larger.  
  
"Don't you get nervous? I mean, playing in front of the whole school. I know I would." She asked quietly at Remus's side.  
  
  
  
"I used to, when I first started playing. But eventually, I just forgot that anyone else was even there. I just tend to concentrate only on the game now."  
  
They had walked to the centre of the pitch now, and had turned to face each other. Everything was silent and there was a feeling of complete and utter privacy, everything else seemed miles away, and for a moment, Darwin thought she might kiss him, but then he dropped her hand and mounted his broom.  
  
"Ready to go then?" He asked. His voice was soft and his eyes were bright with reflected light.   
  
She was more then a little reluctant.   
  
  
  
"Isn't it kind of dangerous though?" She moaned.  
  
"No way. Look." He said simply before kicking off from the ground and speeding off into the air, flying upside down, weaving from side to side, diving down, racing upward, and all the while, Darwin's heart in her throat. From the stands, these airborne antics didn't look half as dangerous.   
  
Just as she was thinking this, Remus swooped in behind her and she soon found herself ungracefully scooped onto the front of the broom. She let out a gasp of surprise and clutched at the front of the broom with her hands, holding on so tight that her knuckles soon turned white.  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, you're fine." Remus said, his mouth very close to her ear. Darwin doubted that he knew of the effect this had.   
  
The ground was rapidly disappearing below her and the air was consistently getting colder and windier. Remus momentarily let go of the broom and Darwin nearly screamed, only to find that he was moving her hands forward slightly, into the steering position. He then left his right hand on tops of hers, while he curled his other arm about her waist.  
  
"Is this okay?" He asked shyly.   
  
"Yes." She said simply - there was just too much sensory input at the moment for her to say much else. Beyond the slight dizziness and upset stomach that flying always caused, there was the added sensation of Remus's warm, callused hand on hers, gently steering the broom, as well as his obviously strong arm around her waist, holding her in a slight grip.   
  
He flew all around the pitch, weaving around the stands, rising steadily, only to plummet back downward in a nosedive, every minute trying to go faster, but being stopped by Darwin's good-natured pleas.  
  
Eventually though, it seemed like Remus had something else in mind as they soon left the pitch and began to fly over the grounds. They flew over the lake, where the light of the now risen moon reflected brightly on the small waves that lapped against the shore. They skirted the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where no light could penetrate and dark things stirred just within it's borders. They flew past the greenhouses, all around the turrets and towers of the castle, past the Great Hall and Gryffindor Tower, catching the occasional surprised face of a student wondering the halls or gazing out the window. Eventually though, they came to a stop atop a small tower, it's bricks blackened with age, the tiles of the flat roof cracked. Darwin was not entirely sure of it's use, but it was located near the back of the expansive castle and she supposed that it was probably a low-traffic area of the castle.   
  
"Here we are."Remus said as he brought them to a gentle stop. Darwin clambered off the broom, as did Remus. He then leaned the broom against the waist-level brick wall that run the perimeter of the roof.   
  
"This is great! You can see everything here."Darwin exclaimed, taking advantage of the view the spot provided. The tower was one of the highest points of the castle and gave one a terrific view of the whole grounds. "Do you come here often?"  
  
"Sometimes. It's a great place to get away. Sometimes I'll come here and read or just to think, you know, when the castle gets too noisy." He said gazing momentarily at the half moon in the dark sky and then quickly turning his back to it.   
  
There was a moment of silence and then Remus spoke.  
  
"I, uh, haven't gotten you into trouble with Sirius, have I?"He asked timidly.  
  
"No, no,no, definitely not. It's just, you have to understand, he's really protective of me. We've been friends forever. I guess he just doesn't want me to get hurt. Has he said anything to you?" She asked, hoping his response would be in the negative.  
  
"Well, he's given me the odd warning look whenever I'm around you, not mention he just lays on the sarcasm whenever the issue of you and me comes up." He didn't seem all that concerned. "I think he'll get over it though. Sirius is just like that."  
  
"Yeah don't I know it." Throughout the whole conversation, Darwin had been leaning on the wall, her face toward the moon while Remus kept his back to it. Now though, she chanced to glance over at him, only to find a very strange expression on his face.   
  
"What?"Darwin asked slowly, meeting his eyes.  
  
"I want to kiss you but I don't know how." He said very quietly, the smallest hint of a blush creeping into his cheeks.   
  
"Oh. Um, okay, have you ever.....?"Darwin asked. She was a little surprised at how forward he was being, but was quite enjoying herself, all the same.   
  
"No. Never."  
  
"Really? Wow, I would've thought - well I guess it doesn't matter." She stopped herself before she got flustered and took a step so that she was standing in front of him.   
  
She gave him a small, encouraging smile and then loosely wrapped her arms about his neck. He did the same with her waist.  
  
"Here we go." She said softly before leaning her head towards his. He did the same and very soon their lips touched in a gentle kiss. Darwin angled her lips slightly upward so that Remus's upper lip was in between hers, while Remus tightened his arms slightly about her waist. He was a quick learner and soon he was using his lips to their full potential. He was the one to break the kiss, and when he did, he kept his eyes closed for a moment while a contented smile spread across his face.   
  
"We should get back."  
  
"We should."  
  
He mounted the broom first and then Darwin climbed on after him. This time though, she let him steer and just wrapped her hands around his arm, which was around her waist.   
  
Flying didn't seem nearly so terrifying now, she thought, as they flew at a gentle pace, weaving in and out of the many towers and turrets of the castle. Very soon, they came to a stop outside a window that looked vaguely familiar.  
  
"That's my dorm room!" Darwin exclaimed once she recognized it.  
  
"Did you think I was going to make you walk?" He asked, a laugh in his voice.  
  
"No, I suppose not." She said as she smiled up at him.  
  
He flew in as close as possible to the window, and thankfully the window opened easily, and silently, when she pushed it. She climbed, rather ungracefully in her opinion, off the broom and nearly fell into the dorm. Once she collected herself, she turned back to face Remus who was still hovering very close to the window.  
  
"You better get going. It's getting late." She said quietly, so as to not wake her room mates.   
  
"Yeah. Goodnight." He replied as he leaned forward, cupped face in his hand and gave her a quick, but playful, kiss goodnight. "Bye." He whispered and then flew out of sight, no doubt heading toward his own dorm.   
  
Darwin silently closed the window, only to be confronted by the squeals of her room mates, who, as it turned out, had only been pretending to sleep.   
  
A/N:WOAH. Okay. Sorry for the HUGE lag in updating, but you see. I've just spent a month in Ireland and then about three weeks missing Ireland and all that time I just couldn't bring myself to write anything. But now I'm back. Sorry this chapter is short/crappy, but I just needed to get back into the habit of writing. As for my month abroad, let's just say, there's definitely going to be a very cute Irish character popping up very soon. I love Ireland.........anyway. It was very nice to read all your lovely reviews while I was there. I'd love to respond to each one, but I think everyone would rather that I just post this now. One review that sticks out in my mind, and I don't remember who it was from (sorry), but it was about Darwin and my lack of a physical description. Simply put, Darwin is anyone. She could be someone you know, or maybe even you. I think it's easier to relate to the character that way, plus, it prevents her from becoming a cliche/ mary sure. Well, that's about it for now. See ya! 


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter 9  
  
The threat that he-who-must-not-be-named and his followers had once posed to the wizarding community had dissipated and presently the wizard world was enveloped in a state of uneasy calm. One day, the violence of Voldemort pressed in on the forces of good from all sides, threatening to crush them, and the next, he seemed to have disappeared. However, only the very foolish would let themselves believe he was gone for good, because the jaded knew better. He would be back. They knew Voldemort was lying in wait, biding his time, waiting for the perfect time to strike, when it was least expected.   
  
And things were no different at Hogwarts. There were no more whispers of dark things in the corridors, no more "accidents" concerning the children of Muggles, and Lucius Malfoy and Severus were rarely seen at all, least of all conversing with other suspicious individuals.   
  
These thoughts, which had once permanently occupied Darwin's mind, were now far away. She had more important, or seemingly anyway, things to deal with. Some time had passed since her first date with Remus and the students of Hogwarts were now so close to the Christmas Holidays they didn't even bother to hide their disinterest in their lessons anymore.   
  
It was a quiet night inside the castle - there had been a heavy snowfall during the day and most of the students were outside enjoying it. However, Remus and Darwin, their relationship having progressed and deepened quite nicely over the past few months, opted to stay inside and enjoy the moment of quiet.   
  
They were in the sixth year boys' dormitory, which was a much more private place then the common room. As it turned out, the sixth year boys only used their dormitory to sleep and so it was a pretty safe bet that they would have all the privacy they wanted.   
  
They were snuggled together on Remus's bed under a pile of thick blankets, experiencing that warm feeling that one only gets when you know it's freezing outside but you're nice and warm inside.   
  
Most of the time, Remus was very easy going and openly affectionate. The whole concept of a personal "bubble" of space was just absurd to him and by this point, he didn't give a damn what Sirius thought, or anyone else, for that matter. But tonight, something was wrong. He was fidgety and he seemed incredibly uncomfortable. He seemed to try and avoid making to much contact with Darwin and his mind seemed miles away. As she looked at him, he had his eyes closed and he appeared to be breaking out in a light sweat.   
  
"You're alright, then?" She asked timidly.  
  
"Yes." He swallowed and she could see his Adam's apple bob up and down. "I'm just feeling a little off."  
  
"Should you maybe go to the Hospital Wing?" She asked. As she did so, she softly caressed his neck with her hand, kissing it once or twice.   
  
This seemed to make him even more uncomfortable. His mouth dropped open and his breathing quickened. He pulled her hand away.   
  
"No, no, I'm fine." He rasped, his eyes still closed.   
  
"You're sure?" She asked quietly, moving her face closer to his. Her hand moved to his chest where she could feel his heart through his clothes, beating a mile a minute.   
  
"Yes."  
  
She kissed him then, he was just too irresistible. At first his response was timid and slow, and then suddenly turned ferocious. His hands, which were surprisingly strong, were everywhere at once, but then suddenly, he stopped. He pulled back to look Darwin in the eye. He wore a pained expression, his eyes glazed over.   
  
"Sorry." He rasped. He then rolled off of the bed, now genuinely sweating, and shuffled over to one of the windows. Once there, he flung it open and let in the cool night air. Darwin sat dazed, watching his back heave with every deep breath he took.   
  
In all honestly though, she wasn't offended, nor was she that worried either. This wasn't the first time Remus had acted in such a strange manner. When he wasn't being his easy going self, which was most of the time, he was prone to being this apologetic, fidgety character who played chaste.   
  
When it first happened, she thought she had done something wrong and had avoided Remus for days. He had found her though, after a few days had passed, and acted like nothing had happened. She made no protest then. By now, it was almost becoming routine.   
  
"Remus. "She began after a few minutes of watching his back, his breathing now back to normal. "I can leave, if you like."  
  
"No!" He spun around. "I mean, no, you don't have to. Please stay." He finished, regaining control over his emotions.  
  
He slowly walked back over to where Darwin was sitting, the top buttons of his collar undone, his hair slightly mussed, his eyes half lidded, looking, in Darwin's opinion, absolutely gorgeous.   
  
He bent down, bringing his face close to hers, an arm on either side or her. Their eyes met and he seemed to be considering her for a moment, searching for something in her eyes. A moment later, he closed his eyes tightly and swallowed again. He then cupped her face in his hand.   
  
"I would never hurt you. You know that, right?" He whispered.   
  
"Yes, of course. I trust you. Remus, what's wrong?" She asked, genuinely worried.   
  
"Nothing." He whispered. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, exhaled a deep breath, and then crushed his lips against hers.   
  
Before she knew what had happened, they were sprawled across Remus's bed, the full weight of his body on top of hers. One of her legs had wound it's way around his hip, and was being held in place at the knee by Remus himself. His other hand groped, and pinched and pulled like it didn't even know what it wanted.   
  
After the momentary shock of having Remus lying in between her legs, in a manner of speaking anyway, had worn off, Darwin found that she was quite excited by the whole ordeal. She had never seen Remus act so aggressively before, and it both shocked and pleased her at the same time. Presently, he was kissing her neck, but she could've sworn she felt him bite the skin a few times as well.   
  
When he began to grind his hips into hers, she knew she would do anything he wanted her to. She heard him say her name, it was more like a plea, and she had never felt so needed or desired. She ran her hands through his hair and then down to the nape of his neck, where she let them rest. She was still to shy and self-conscious to explore any further.  
  
  
  
It was at this point that she first noticed the hard lump that was in between them, and at first, could not for the life of her determine what it was. It was a few moments before she was able to connect the textbook definition of the male erection to what she was feeling at that moment.   
  
A very warm, strange feeling flooded through her then, something she had never experienced before. She gathered all her courage and began to slowly slide her hands down Remus's chest, very aware of his lean, muscled chest the whole time. However, when her hands finally reached the top of his trousers, Remus pulled them away so quickly that she was momentarily stunned.   
  
"What's wrong?" She asked breathlessly.   
  
His face was completely unreadable. He was very flushed and breathing hard, his hair was a mess and his eyes were dark.   
  
"What the hell am I doing?" He seemed to ask himself. He covered his face with his hand, paused to think for a moment, then looked at her again.   
  
"I'm so sorry." He whispered. The aggressive, wild character had been replaced by the restricted, fidgety one and Darwin had to admit that she was a little disappointed. "You should go." He told her quietly.   
  
"But-" She began in protest.   
  
"Darwin, please just do this for me. Please?"   
  
There were a thousand things she wanted to say, even more that she wanted to ask, but there was something about the way Remus looked that caused her to hold her tongue. Something about the way she could've sworn there was a tired, weary, jaded older man lurking just beneath Remus's skin, pulling at his eyes and waiting to gray his hair.   
  
"Alright. I'll go." She stopped abruptly. She thought about asking him again if he was okay or telling him she'd she him tomorrow, but she thought better of it as he very obviously just wanted to be left alone. So, she took a moment to collect her thoughts, and then very quietly slipped out of the room. She noticed that Remus had resumed his perch by the window, again enjoying the cool night air.   
  
On her way down the stairs leading the boys' dormitory, she prayed she wouldn't meet anyone. She was sure that she must look a mess, and besides her physical appearance, her mental state at that moment was not quite up to par. As it was rather taboo for a girl to be in the boys' dormitory, and vice versa, she was not quite up to the challenge of explaining herself, which she would inevitably try to do, even if an explanation wasn't demanded.   
  
Now, she was nearing the bottom of the stairs and knew she was almost out of danger, when she suddenly knew she would not be getting out of this one. She sensed him before she saw him, having known him for so long and at first just prayed she was over reacting. But her hopes promptly died when she saw that familiar shaggy head of black hair.   
  
"Darwin?"  
  
"Sirius!"  
  
  
  
"What are you doing here?" He asked, rather fiercely.   
  
Darwin tried to dodge past him, but he blocked her exit by placing a hand on the stone archway of the stairs.   
  
She thought she might try dodging under his arm, but then decided this was no time for childish games.   
  
"I really don't see how it's any of your business. "She replied curtly. She thought she saw a look of hurt flicker across his face, but then it was gone. Sirius then proceeded to look her up and down, taking in her disheveled appearance, rasing an eyebrow slightly, looking skeptical.   
  
She squirmed under his gaze, tugging a little at her shirt tails and running a hand through her hair. She could feel her face start to flush and her mind was suddenly occupied by thoughts of Remus's hand on her breast, his teeth on her neck, and that suspicious hardness that had been between them.   
  
"Not my business?" He asked, clearly mocking her.   
  
Darwin hated to admit it, but she and Sirius were not as close as they used to be. Not nearly. It seemed the closer she got to Remus, the further she drifted away from him. He seemed both furious, and at the same time distressed, by her relationship with Remus and she could never understand why. She could no longer talk to him about important, personal things. In fact, she was finding that she could barely talk to him at all. They rarely saw each other, and most times, when they did Darwin was with Remus and Sirius just ignored them. Added to the sense of loss she felt concerning Sirius, she had the added guilt of knowing she had come between Sirius and Remus, who, although it would be difficult to believe now, had once been the best of friends.   
  
But standing there, hearing Sirius question and mock her, Darwin just wanted to punch him square in the nose. It made her furious when anyone, especially a male, for example her father, questioned her about her doings and then tried to tell what to do and what not to do. She craved independence and as far as she was concerned, she always had and always would have control over what she did no matter what anyone said.   
  
Just the fact that Sirius thought he should have any say in who she dated made her furious. She couldn't help it, but she was getting angry.   
  
"Yes, that's right. You heard me, this isn't any of your fucking business." She spat at him. She really didn't mean to be so harsh, but at times, she could have quite the temper problem.   
  
Sirius didn't reply, he only glared at her. In her recollection, Darwin could not remember any other time she had spoken to him in such a way, and she assumed that he was just as surprised as she was.   
  
Darwin returned his glare, as furious as ever. After a few moments, she attempted to walk past him, only to have him grab her arms and pin them to her side. The next thing she knew, her back was to the cold stone wall and Sirius was growling in a low voice.   
  
"Don't you see what's happening? You're not acting like yourself. Darwin, he's not worth this."   
  
"Let go of me!" She growled back. She struggled for a moment, but it was all in vain. He would forever be stronger than her. "How can you say he's not worth it? You don't know anything about it!"  
  
"You wouldn't say that if you knew- "He started, his voice softer.  
  
"Knew what?" She snapped.   
  
"Can't you just trust me?" He asked, and Darwin was sure they had had a conversation just like this before.   
  
"What? Trust you about some secret little piece of information that you won't tell me,   
  
going only on your word? I highly doubt it." She told him, contempt dripping off of every word.  
  
"Darwin, I'm only looking out for you." Even though she knew he was trying to be tough, she could tell he was being sincere. But that didn't matter, by this time she was too angry and frustrated to care.   
  
"You could've fooled me. Sirius, why don't you just piss off and leave me alone? You're not my father."  
  
He released her from his grip, which had been steadily getting tighter, and just looked at her. Now the hurt was plain on his face.   
  
He swallowed once.  
  
"If that's what you want." His voice came out hard and cold as ice.   
  
He looked at her for a moment more, and then turned and walked away. It would be a long time before they reconciled.   
  
Darwin swore under her breath. This was just not her day.  
  
She decided to just go to bed early, but when she arrived at her dorm, she found that Lily and James had had much the same idea as her and Remus, only they seemed to be getting on much better, evidenced by the soft laughing she could hear. Of course she couldn't interrupt, so she just began to walk. She stormed back down the stairs and then through the common room, her arms crossed over her chest, absorbed in her own thoughts.   
  
She didn't pass anyone on her way, and if she did, she didn't notice them. When she walked passed the portrait of Napoleon, he began to greet her, but she only growled "Not now" and continued on her way.   
  
She could feel the tears coming and retreated to one of the girls' toilets where she could cry in private. She placed her hands in the cold porcelain sink and stared at her reflection. Instead of seeing what she normally saw, a reflection that she was quite content with, she only saw a fat ugly cow who had managed to alienate two of the people she cared most about in one evening. She told herself she was more trouble then she was worth, and , in all honestly, wished things would just go back to the way they were before. Simple and easy.   
  
A/N: I know, I know, that was a ridiculously long lag in updating. But, I've just been really busy lately, working one full-time and one part-time job. I'll try to update sooner next time. Tell me what you think! Bye! 


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten  
  
She didn't know how long she stayed there, or how long it was before James arrived. She cried like she hadn't done in a long time. She had, what girls like to call, a good cry about everything and anything. She felt like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders and everything just seemed to be going all wrong. The structure of her formerly tight-knit group of friends was beginning to change, and the loss of that old familiarity frightened her. She had seemingly lost a friend, but had gained something new and much different in return. She wasn't sure if she loved Remus, it was far too early to tell, but what she did know, was that she had never felt about anyone else like she did for Remus. She didn't care, and hadn't cared, for anyone else in that way.  
  
Beyond that though, everyone just seemed to be changing on a personal level. They were all in their sixth year, and soon they would be in their seventh, and after that, it was time for Life. She had never before cared about O.W.Ls or N.E.W.T.s, but now they were of utmost important. Everyone she knew always seemed to be bearing this unbelievable load of course work and always seemed to have a complex schedule of assignments and due dates running through their minds. The pressure to succeed was beginning to build and everyone, including Darwin, could feel it. She had even seen James, Mr. Social himself, tucked away in a quiet corner of the library, pouring over a large tome, obviously trying his best to ignore the loud group of fourth years nearby playing a game of Exploding Snap.   
  
And then, of course, there was Sirius. Despite all his faults, she loved him to death and it induced an almost physical pain within her to be at such drastic odds with him. She desperately longed for their relationship to return to the way it was. She wished she had never told him off and that the row had never happened. He had always, since they had first met all those years ago, been one of the only people she could truly be herself around. She felt fairly comfortable around Remus, but there were still moments of awkwardness or shyness, and it just wasn't the same as it was with Sirius. She could say anything, do anything, ask anything ( an aspect of their relationship which she particularly missed now, as her knowledge of the opposite sex was somewhat limited), but now, there was just a void. Other then Lily, who was a nice, but somewhat silly, person, she had no close female friends, and James was just never serious and Peter, to be honest, could really be an irritating little git a lot of time, which left her options for confiding in someone quite slim. In truth, she needed Sirius as her friend, and now, because of her, she had lost that companionship.   
  
She had taken a seat on the floor, her back against the cold stone wall. She didn't even bother to wipe the tears away anymore. Her eyes were sore and her nose was running. Her throat burned something fierce and it hurt to swallow. Her face and hands were flushed and warm, but her legs and back were cold. She wanted to go to bed, but she didn't want to get up. The toilet was dark and quiet, and thankfully empty, and the only noise was the occasional drip from one of the faucets. She thought about the snow-covered grounds outside, thought about the Forbidden Forest and the branches of the trees heavy with snow. She thought about the quiet peace which must exist at the edges of the Forest, which were the only safe parts, and wished that contented calmness could replace the turmoil inside her.   
  
And that was how James found her, crumpled on the ground in a daze, freezing. Instead of being surprised at the entrance of someone to the out-of-the-way toilet, she didn't even look up. She was too far removed to be surprised and too depressed to care. She knew it was a male, she could see the pant legs and shoes out of the corner of her vision, and the thought that he was in a girls' toilet and maybe shouldn't be there didn't even occur to her.   
  
"Is this where the party's at?" James asked quietly. Even when he was being serious, he had to try and be funny.   
  
"Yeah. But I doubt anyone's going to show. They all hate me." At this last part, her voice cracked and she gave a little whimper before a fresh batch of burning turns started pouring out of her eyes.  
  
"Aw, don't say that. We all love you like a fat kid loves cake." At this he took a seat next to her and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Nice digs for a party."   
  
She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Thanks a lot James."   
  
He gave a soft laugh. He paused for a moment, as if giving Darwin the chance to speak. When she didn't, he broke the silence.   
  
"I hear you've had quite the falling out with Sirius." He started. She wanted to talk about it, especially with someone as open and easy to talk to as James, but she couldn't help feeling a little reluctant. It might've been that she didn't want to think about those things she had said, to feel that pain again, or perhaps it was just that there was a pervading sense of it being a personal matter.   
  
"Who told you that?" She asked, punctuated by another sniff.   
  
"Sirius." He said simply.  
  
"When?"  
  
"Just now."  
  
"But then, how did you find me so quickly?" She asked, her mind suddenly removed from her troubles. The castle was a huge, intertwining, shifting, sprawling mass. It could take hours to find someone, even when you had an idea of where they were.  
  
  
  
"Lucky guess?" He shrugged his shoulders and Darwin didn't believe a word of it. Judging by the look on his face, he didn't expect her to.   
  
"James, this place is huge. What, did you track me down by my scent?" She asked, skeptical.   
  
"I told you, it was a lucky guess." He replied, and she could tell, the issue was closed. She wasn't going to get anything else out of him.   
  
"So I guess if Sirius told you what happened, you must believe every word? Of course you would." The words came out a little more venomous then she intended and she immediately regretted it. She really did appreciate James being there.   
  
"Darwin, what do you take me for? I know Sirius, and I know he's full of shit half the time. I heard *his* side of the story, and I realize that he probably omitted a few details." He waited for a moment. "Would you like to talk about it?"  
  
"No." She quickly. Then she let out a frustrated sigh. She had to talk about it, get it off her chest. "It's just, I don't understand him sometimes. He can just be such an arse sometimes and it gets so frustrating. Lately, he's become such a meddling, moody git that I can barely stand him. I mean, honestly, what's his problem?"  
  
James gave a little, patronizing laugh, that surprised her.  
  
  
  
"You mean, you can't tell?" He quirked an eyebrow.   
  
"Tell what?" Her best guess was that Sirius was experiencing the male equivalent of PMS, if there was such a thing, and it just wasn't going away. She really didn't feel like volunteering this answer though.  
  
"The lad is absolutely green with jealousy." He told her.   
  
"Jealous, why?" For a moment, she thought he meant that he was jealous of her and that he had this weird thing for Remus, but then she realized. "Of, Remus, you mean?"  
  
"No, of you. He's a real poofter on the inside." James joked. "Yes, he's madly jealous of Remus. Sirius has had it bad for you since he first met you, I would think." He was being serious, in the best way James could, and she was honestly shocked.   
  
"But, I don't understand. If he felt that way, why has he never said anything? Why have we just been friends all this time?" She asked very quickly. She felt like she was gaining some valuable insight into Sirius, via his good mate, and she wanted to know as much as possible.   
  
"I honestly couldn't tell you. I guess he just didn't want to ruin your friendship, and now it's become this big complex for him where he can't be more then your friend, but if he can't have you, neither can anyone else. And so you see his problem."   
  
She let a loud sigh.  
  
"Boys!" She scratched her head and shifted her weight. She had been sitting there for far too long and was beginning to get uncomfortable. "Why can't he just let it go? I mean, Remus of all people. I could understand if it were someone he didn't get on with, or someone that he hated, but Remus? I always thought they were friends."   
  
"But that's just that thing, they are. Or, they were." Darwin winced a little, she still felt like it was her fault. "It's just the way Sirius's mind works. He's a competitive person, especially with his friends. He feels like he has to outdo us. Which, of course, makes it much worse because now one of his friends has the one thing he could never get."   
  
"More like the one thing he was never willing to let himself have." She quietly replied. She thought for a moment. "And all this time, I thought there might be something wrong with me. While Sirius went after practically every girl he saw, he always seemed to overlook me. For the longest time, I thought I was just this unattractive cow who Sirius thought of as just 'one of the lads'". As she said this, a flood of memories from her adolescence came to her. Staring at herself in the mirror, just knowing her nose was too big, her lips too small, her body too fat and feeling disgusted with herself. Seeing Sirius with a different pretty girl on his arm every week, wishing she could be that girl, wishing she could kiss Sirius, wishing she could be pretty like one of his girls. Just wishing she was anyone but herself.   
  
James gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.  
  
"Hardly! Have you seen the way that boy looks at you sometimes?" James asked, sounding rather amused and excited.   
  
"......no?" She couldn't help it, but she really wanted to know.   
  
"Sometimes, by the way he just stares at you, when you're unaware of course, I think that he wants to just pull down your knickers and go at it right there. There could even be a hundred people in the room, all your friends and family, and I doubt he'd think twice about it."   
  
Darwin coughed, shifted her weight again, and felt her face burn.   
  
"But then of course, there's those other times, "Here James' voice grew quieter. He wasn't laughing at his friend anymore. "Those times, when he just gets this look on his face. It's just so full of adoration, and devotion, and," He paused for a moment. "And love, that I just can't believe that it's Sirius I'm looking at. I hope I can look at a girl that way someday."   
  
James gave her a moment to just digest that information. She never knew, had never realized before -  
  
"So, how go things with Remus?" James asked. She was quickly brought out of her thoughts.   
  
"Oh, um, really good actually. I really like him." She said, shyly.   
  
"That's grand. I'm rooting for him, you know. " He gave her a big smile and a wink. "It's about time he caught a break." This last part was more to himself. He sounded like he was trying to vindicate an argument.   
  
"What do you mean, rooting for him? What about Sirius?" She had always thought that James was closer to Sirius. Not that he didn't like Remus, they were great mates, but Remus was more independent and Sirius and James were just alike in so many ways.   
  
"Sirius is a great mate, I love him like a brother, but he had his chance. This silly game he plays is just starting to drag and he should just let someone else have a go. It's unfair to you and it's unfair to Remus. Sirius just needs to grow up. And of course there's-" He stopped himself in mid-sentence.   
  
"There's what?" She asked.   
  
"Nothing." He said, seemingly as though he was considering telling her what it was. "It's nothing."  
  
"Is it something to do with Remus?" She asked slowly.   
  
"No." He waited. "Why?"  
  
"It's just, I don't know, he seems like he's got a lot on his mind. A lot of things to worry about. He acts strange sometimes." She said, thinking of the events of earlier that evening.   
  
"Strange? How so?" James seemed quite interested.   
  
"Oh! Um, I don't know, just strange." She stuttered. She could feel her face starting to burn again. She really didn't feel like telling James of all people that Remus had flip-flopped between a chaste monk and sex-crazed animal.   
  
James seemed uncomfortably interested. He was looking at her in a searching way. His whole demeanor had changed and all humor had disappeared from him. "Strange in an okay way, right? I mean, he hasn't hurt you or anything, right?" He asked slowly.   
  
"No! Not at all. Why do you ask?" She was truly confused now, and was really beginning to wish she were in bed.   
  
"No reason!" James exclaimed, returning to his normal cheerful self. "You look awfully tired, I think it's time for bed."   
  
"I think you're right."  
  
James stood and then pulled Darwin to her feet. Her legs were stiff and she felt cold. They began to walk and the toilet was suddenly filled with the echos of their footsteps, and just as they left, Darwin chanced to glance over her shoulder and out one of the high windows cut into the stone walls. The moon was high and nearly full. What a pretty sight.   
  
As soon as they were in the corridor, and surrounded by a warmer hue, Darwin could feel her mood beginning to lift along with the color of her surroundings and decided to engage James in what he was best at. Banter.   
  
"So, James, how goes it was Lily?" She asked slyly.  
  
"I thought you'd never ask!" James exclaimed. "Mmm, Lily." He moaned as he closed his eyes for a moment, most likely thinking of his lady love.  
  
  
  
"Anyway, yes, I'm having some problems." He began, as if he were addressing his therapist.   
  
"Problems? Like, erectile problems?" Darwin joked.   
  
"Ha! Very funny. No, you see, Lily, as it turns out, is very ticklish. I mean, this kid is ticklish just everywhere. Her shoulders are even ticklish! I mean, honestly, who has ticklish shoulders?"  
  
"Obviously Lily." Darwin dead panned.  
  
"That's enough out of you. Anyway, so you see, my problem is that I'm trying to pull off my best moves, and all she does is laugh. Sometimes I don't know if she's laughing at me or laughing because she's ticklish. It's been hurting my fragile male psyche like you wouldn't believe." He was doing a fantastic job of making like this was actually a big issue for him.   
  
"Aw, poor James." Darwin sympathized.   
  
"So, back to the common room then?" James asked.  
  
"Sure. Oh! No, wait-" She had suddenly just remembered. A few days prior, before Remus had begun acting strangely, he had asked her to spend the Christmas holiday with him and his family. She knew she wouldn't really be missed by her family, as they were never that close, and as of now, she wouldn't have her usual company of Sirius. When he had first offered, she had told him she would consider, knowing she would most likely accept his offer, but after her falling out with Sirius, and all her time alone to think afterward, the matter had been easily decided. For now, all that was left was the formality of asking her mother for permission.   
  
"I've just got to run to the owlery, to send a letter to my mum. I'm going to spend the holiday with Remus." She told James.   
  
"Really?" He seemed genuinely surprised. "You don't want to go home?" He seemed quite shocked by this. It was common knowledge that James was a mama's boy at heart and was extremely close to his family. She realized that the idea of spending Christmas anywhere but at home, with one's family, must seem quite ridiculous to him.   
  
"Nah. My family doesn't really celebrate. We're not that close. It's no big deal." She sighed. It was rare, but sometimes, she wished she had a family like James'.   
  
"That must be odd. Does, uh, Sirius know then?" James asked timidly, seeing as the issue was still sore.   
  
"Sirius? No. I hardly need to check in with him whenever I plan to do something. Besides, the prat will eventually figure it out for himself, I'm sure." She replied rather stiffly.   
  
"I see." James said simply. "Shall I come with you then?"   
  
"Nah. That's alright. I'll see you back in the common room."  
  
"Goodnight then."  
  
"'Night."  
  
At this, James took the next left, which was the quickest way back to the Gryffindor common room. Darwin continued on straight ahead, towards the owlery. She was actually quite looking forward to spending the holiday with Remus. He hadn't actually told her that much about his family, and she assumed that his situation was somewhat like hers. What she was really looking forward to was just being to be with him and not having to worry about classes or assignments or waking up early or interfering older-brother types.   
  
The castle was beginning to quiet, and she met very few people in the corridors. She had always been very light on her feet, and as she climbed the stairs leading to the owlery, she made very little noise. As she reached the door, she heard voices, and at first, thought nothing of them. But, as it is a natural thing, the quieter a voice is speaking, the more one will strain to hear it. These voices were furtive and soft. The voices of conspirators. She placed her ear against the thick wooden door which lead to the owlery and listened.   
  
"I agree, we've waited long enough." Said the first. A strong voice with a high-class accent. Darwin had a sinking suspicion of who it might be.   
  
"Do you think anyone has been fooled by this ruse though?" Asked a second. A thicker, darker voice. Almost slimey. She was almost positive of who it belonged to.  
  
"Yes. Most have, I believe. Only the wisest and oldest haven't, but we couldn't hope to fool them. The time is now. We'll just send word and it will begin. " Said the first, sounding vindictive.  
  
Darwin, in spite of herself, gasped slightly and shifted her weight ever so slightly, causing the floor boards to creak. The conversation inside the owlery ceased immediately. Her heart leapt into her throat and she began to panic, looking desperately for a place to hide. The problem was, there just wasn't anywhere to hide. The staircase lead to a small landing outside the owlery door and that was all. The only place to go was back down the stairs, but they were too long. Added to that, she didn't know any kind of charm of spell that could conceal her, and so that's why, moments later, she came to face to face with none other than Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy.   
  
She was glued to the spot and her heart was pounding. She could see the contempt and suspicion in their eyes and wanted to run. Malfoy sneered and Snape just glared.  
  
"Ah, Darwin Moore." Malfoy stated, barely concealing his disgust.   
  
"Born in Canada," He said it like it was a bad thing. "The daughter of Ronald and Marie Moore. Muggles." Snape rambled off, as of he had it memorized.  
  
Darwin was momentarily at a loss for words. How on earth did Snape, of all people, know that?   
  
"Well, better Canada then America." She sputtered. "Besides, how do you know that?" She demanded.   
  
"None of your business, Mudblood." Snape growled.   
  
"Mudblood?!" She spat furiously. She was indignant.   
  
"You heard me. You don't deserve to-" At that moment he took a menacing step forward, only to be stopped in his tracks by Malfoy, who placed an arm between them.   
  
"Now, now, Severus. None of that, if you please. She can't help her pitiful lineage." Malfoy's lips curled into another sneer. He gave Darwin the once over and stated simply "What a pity." After that, he began to walk away, his head held high. Snape reluctantly followed, still glaring at Darwin.   
  
Darwin stayed where she was for a few moments longer. She was furious and frightened at the same time. Something was about to go down, and she was worried. The only problem was, she had no proof and she knew, just knew, that if she told anyone what she had heard, no one would believe her. No one would want to believe her. She hated to admit it, but she was coming to believe that Snape and Malfoy were being drastically underestimated. It was just something about the way they acted, the way they spoke, that made her think they were capable of terrible things. They were born and bred in their beliefs and ways and would only continue to rot from the inside out at they grew older.   
  
Despite being quite shaken, she managed to scrawl a quick note to her mother, wishing her a happy Christmas and telling her of her plans. Since she didn't have her own owl, she just used one of the school's owls to send her letter. As soon as the bird took flight, she made her way quickly back to the Gryffindor common room, praying there would be no more confrontations.   
  
She reached the common room without incident and found it strangely empty. Not even James, who seemed to hate, above all else, being alone for more then a minute, was around. The only sounds were the crackling of the fire and wind rushing past the windows. She decided to call it a night and climbed the stairs to her dormitory. There, she found Holly, Heather and Rosemary, getting ready for bed and engaging in the usual girly gossip and giggling. Lily was strangely absent, however.   
  
"Where's Lily?" Darwin asked as she ruffled through a pile of clothes next to her bed to find her pajamas.   
  
"She's gone off, with James, no doubt to snog." Heather told her with a giggle. "They make such a cute couple." She said in a sing-song voice.   
  
"Huh. I see." Darwin replied, already disinterested.   
  
"So, how's the hubby?" Rosemary asked coyly jumping onto Darwin's bed and propping her head on her hands.   
  
"You mean Remus?" She asked, wanting to go to the washroom to change, but feeling obligated to answer her friends' silly questions.   
  
"Mmmhmm. He's so dreamy!" She sighed, and all three of them erupted into a fit of giggles.   
  
"He's grand." She said simply. There was a slight pause and she thought she had time to escape, but half way across the room, she was stopped again.   
  
"So, tell us, is he a good kisser?" Holly asked matter-of-factly from her place by the mirror, brushing her hair. Truth be told, Darwin was rather uncomfortable discussing things like this and could feel her self becoming annoyed and embarrassed.  
  
"I, uh, well-" She stuttered.   
  
"Ohhh, so he's left you speechless then? He must be great." Rosemary chimed in, followed by another laugh.   
  
"I suppose." Darwin said simply, a small smile on her lips. She suddenly wanted to be off with Remus, making like James and Lily.   
  
"So, how long before you sleep with him?"This was from Holly, her tone still very matter-of-fact. Now for Darwin, this was just going to far. She had hardly toyed with the idea herself, and she definitely wasn't ready to discuss it with anyone else, not even Remus.   
  
"Okay, okay, that's enough for now." Darwin said quickly, turning on her heel and heading for the washroom.   
  
"Oh ho ho! Maybe she already has!" Holly called, giving a loud laugh. "I bet he's a real tiger. It's always the shy, quiet ones!"  
  
"Yeah, and she's probably a screamer!" Called Rosemary.  
  
"No way! More like a scratcher! Remus's back is probably a mess!" Exclaimed Heather.   
  
"Oh Remus! Remus! Faster! Harder! Oh! OH!" Holly moaned, mocking an orgasm. The three of them were in absolute hysterics now.   
  
"I hate you all!" Called Darwin, not really meaning it. She changed quickly and then jumped straight into bed, but was not spared a few more calls about Remus.   
  
"Psst. Darwin! Are your sheets cold? Would you like us to fetch Remus to warm them up?" Rosemary whispered as they all lay in bed, the room dark.   
  
"That's quite alright." Darwin replied.   
  
"Have you gone to see Madam Pompfrey yet? To have that special chat and get that special potion?" Holly sniggered.   
  
"No. Not yet." Darwin said sarcastically.   
  
"So, how big are the family jewels?" Someone asked. It might have been Holly again, but she wasn't sure. The person was trying so hard not to laugh, their voice came out quite warped.  
  
  
  
"Okay, that's just enough. Good night girls." Darwin said with as much finality as she could muster.   
  
"Oh alright. Goodnight then."  
  
Thankfully, she was able to fall asleep not long after.   
  
The next morning it was the same routine as usual, only that even though Darwin was awake before everyone else, she didn't get out of bed and get ready until after they had all left. She knew she should be getting up, but it was just one of those mornings. She just didn't want to get out of bed.   
  
By the time she had finally made her way to the Great Hall, she found her friends there, all in various states of wakefulness. James seemed to be the worst off. His hair was doing this funny sort of flip and he only seemed able to keep one eye open. If she knew better, she might've said he looked hung over, but she didn't.   
  
Just as she was taking her seat, the Hall was flooded with owls carrying the students' mail. Not surprisingly, she had received a reply from her mother. The note said simply that it was perfectly alright for her to spend the holiday with Remus and to have fun.   
  
At this, Darwin looked around to find Remus and tell him the good news, only to find him strangely absent.   
  
"Where's-" She began, but stopped to clear her throat. "Where's Remus she asked?"  
  
At first, no one answered. Lily shrugged her shoulders and continued to read her mail. As for James and Peter, a strange, furtive look passed between them, but they said nothing. In the case of Sirius, he refused to even acknowledge Darwin.   
  
"Uh, lads? Where's Remus?" Darwin asked again.   
  
Peter glanced at James through the corner of his eye.   
  
"We're not sure. He must be around, though." Peter said in the most unconvincing voice Darwin had ever heard.   
  
"Yeah, I saw him this morning." James broke in, giving an emphatic nod of his head.   
  
"Why isn't he at breakfast?" She asked. This was just unlike him. Remus was the sort of person who enjoyed routine and familiarity and it didn't seem like a thing he would do. He was very devoted to her and he always made sure they saw each other in the morning before classes began, just in case their schedules didn't cross that day. That, and he really seemed to enjoy a nice early-in-the-morning snog.   
  
"I wouldn't worry about it. He'll turn up." James said very quickly, completely avoiding eye contact.   
  
Darwin took a moment to consider. They were hiding something from her, there was no mistaking it.   
  
"What do you mean, turn up? He should be here. He's always here. You four are practically attached at the hip." She said, slightly accusingly.   
  
"Darwin, love, just calm down." Lily broke in. Darwin barely heard her.   
  
"Look, Darwin, we really don't know where he is." Peter told her, trying to sound honest.  
  
  
  
"Oh, please. What are you two hiding from me? What, is he off with some other girl?" She asked. She didn't really think this was it, but hoped the ridiculousness of it would force them to tell her the truth.   
  
But, before either James or Peter could reply, Sirius spoke up.   
  
"Better that then where he really is." His voice was absolutely dripping with contempt.  
  
  
  
Darwin just shot him a cold look. She did not want to deal with him right now. She stood to leave, without having eaten any breakfast.   
  
"Fine, if you won't tell me where he is, I'll be off." She said rather stiffly and turned to leave. As she was leaving, she passed the Slytherin table and caught Lucius Malfoy's eye. His eyes narrowed and a cruel looking smirk appeared on his face. Darwin quickly looked away and began to prepare herself for another long, academic day.   
  
  
  
A/N: I just *had* to put the 50 Cent line in. I'm not really a fan, I just love that line. Anyway, hurray for a hundred reviews! And I can still remember, back in the day, when I didn't have any and I was convinced that no one was reading this. Wow, this was a pretty quick update, eh? Especially by my usual standards ^_^. I think I've finally got a good idea of where this is going. Finally. Some more angst and Death Eaters coming up soon to be sure. Oh, and of course, Remus love! Yay! That's it for now, bye bye. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven  
  
For the rest of that day, Remus remained as elusive as he had been that morning. He wasn't present at lunch or dinner, and he was absent from all the classes he shared with Darwin, which left her to assume that he was absent from the rest of his classes as well. Besides this, the day was completely ordinary. Life carried on as usual and no one, save for Darwin, and to a lesser extent Lily, seemed curious as to Remus's whereabouts. The remaining Marauders tried to act nonchalant, but Darwin knew immediately that they knew where he was. It wasn't so much the fact that they knew, it was the fact that they didn't want her to know that frustrated her. She tried to pry it out of James during lunch, but after he told her that he "honestly" didn't know for the seventh time she gave up. After that she turned on Peter who blushed and shrugged his shoulders and she knew James wouldn't let him say anything. There was, of course, the option of Sirius, who seemed more than likely to talk, but at the moment, she would rather not know where Remus was then deal with him.   
  
Classes had finished for the day, and Darwin was feeling rather lonely. She arrived late for dinner and didn't eat much. Her roommates all chattered around her while she picked at her food. The topic of conversation this evening, though Darwin was decidedly disinterested, concerned one of the Ravenclaw Chasers, who was, as Holly put it "absolutely gorgeous". Thanks to Sloan Chapman, a friend of Lily and Darwin's who happened to be a Chaser on the Ravenclaw team, the girls knew that the Ravenclaw team would be practicing after dinner and it seemed mutual among them that this was a perfect opportunity to study their object of affection.   
  
They all tried to persuade her to accompany them down to the Quidditch pitch, but she declined politely.   
  
"Spending time with Remus then?" Heather asked just as they were leaving the Great Hall.   
  
  
  
"I hope so." Darwin replied quietly. She suddenly didn't feel like talking anymore. She didn't feel like doing anything, as a matter of fact. She just wanted to be alone.  
  
She left before they did, but before long, she lost her sense of purpose and just began to wonder aimlessly. The castle really was quite large and as she walked along the stone corridors, Darwin was surprised at how quiet it could be. She stopped by the library and read aimlessly for what could've been hours. She tried studying material related to her schoolwork, she tried reading fiction, she even tried reading Muggle history texts, a favorite pastime of hers, but nothing could hold her attention for long. The light faded from her surroundings and little by little, tired looking students left, most likely on their way to bed. But in Darwin's case, she wasn't tired, so she left the library and continued to wonder through the castle with no specific purpose in mind.   
  
She missed Remus and wondered again where he was. She felt confused and frustrated and she didn't know why. So many things were changing, so much was happening. Life was suddenly difficult. School was an increasing burden and the pressure to succeed was ever mounting Her relationship with Sirius now seemed non-existent and there was a void in her life. She had to admit it, she missed him dearly. Just thinking about it all made her head hurt.  
  
Just as the thought of Sirius was running through her mind, she thought she heard his voice. She paused for a moment and waited. She was in a lower part of the castle, away from the high traffic areas. It was colder and darker here and not a place she would normally be in. Just as she began to think she had imagined Sirius's voice, she heard it again. It sounded irate.  
  
"Look, I've already told you, I'm not going." He hissed.  
  
  
  
There was a groan and then some unintelligible mumbling.   
  
Then, another voice spoke. It was Peter.   
  
"But Sirius, we need you there."He whined.   
  
She began to move closer. There was no sense of foreboding, these were her friends and she wasn't afraid to approach them. She looked ahead and saw that the voices were coming from a unused classroom. The door was slightly ajar and a faint light escaped from within to flicker on the stone wall adjacent from the door.   
  
Someone cleared their throat and it was a sound Darwin would recognize anywhere. James was with them.   
  
"Come now Sirius, be reasonable."He began. "Give up this silly grudge. What happens if I can't control him on my own and someone gets hurt? What then?"   
  
Sirius made a sound within his throat and Darwin could just see the flippant expression on his face.   
  
"Then that's not my problem." He responded coldly.   
  
"Yeah? Is that so?" James shot back. James rarely got angry, but this was apparently one of those times. "What if it's Darwin that gets hurt?"  
  
As soon as the words were said, Darwin could hear the tell tale sounds of a scuffle occurring It lasted for a few moments and then Peter spoke.  
  
"Both of you, stop it!" He shouted. "We don't have time for this! It's nearly time and here we are, bickering like a bunch of first years."   
  
"What if it's Darwin that get hurts?" Sirius repeated, venom in his voice, seeming to not hear Peter. He was breathing hard and Darwin knew he was furious. "That's been my point all along! I don't want that animal to have anything to do with her."  
  
There were talking about Remus, she knew it. However, she had the distinct disadvantage of hearing the conversation half way through and was not sure why they were talking about Remus.   
  
"Sirius!"James yelled, infuriated. "That animal is your friend."   
  
Darwin could just picture them, their faces inches apart, neither one willing to budge, another scuffle on the verge of erupting.  
  
"My friend?!" Sirius spat back indignantly. "He sure as hell isn't acting like it."  
  
James let out a frustrated sigh.   
  
"Sirius, he's done nothing but be your friend. You've treated him terribly when he's done nothing wrong. "  
  
"Nothing wrong?!"Sirius sounded as angry as ever.   
  
"Yes, Sirius, nothing wrong. You know, Darwin doesn't belong to you. At least give it a chance. You don't even see how much you're hurting Darwin by acting like such a knob." James said, the calm returning to his voice.   
  
"What the hell do you mean- -" Sirius began, but Peter cut him off.  
  
"Lads!" He yelled. "Can we just leave Darwin out of this for now and deal with the task at hand?" Darwin could hear the desperation in his voice. There was a pause and then two mutual grunts of agreement from both James and Sirius.  
  
  
  
If the conversation hadn't turned to the topic of her, Darwin probably would've interrupted much sooner. But now that the matter seemed to have passed, she began to move closer, and didn't take any care to be particularly quiet. After all, these were her friends and she didn't see any need to bother. Just as she was nearing the door, there was a rush of voices from within.   
  
"Shh, someone's coming- -"  
  
"- -the map?"  
  
"Who is it?–"  
  
"- -it's her?"  
  
"Hide!"  
  
She wasn't sure of who said what, but what she did know was that before she ever reached the door, she heard scuffling feet and muffled voices and just as she pulled the door further open, the light vanished. She entered the darkened room, lit only by moonlight filtering in through a small window located high on the adjacent wall. The room was empty.   
  
"James?" She called. "James?!"   
  
She turned in a circle, and checked again. The room was still empty.   
  
"Peter?" She called again. She began to feel a touch of fear. What was going on  
  
She cleared her throat and scratched her forehead.   
  
"S-Sirius?" She tried again, only this time, quieter then before. She thought she heard something off to her left. The ruffle of a cloak, a quick intake of breath. She spun in that direction, but there was nothing there. She thought she might be going crazy. She suddenly felt more tired, more confused and more alone then she had in a long time. She was sure she had seen that light, sure she had heard their voices, but what did it matter? The room was clearly empty now. She felt foolish and frustrated and wished Remus was there. She knew he could make everything alright. He had a way with people, a way with her. He would calm her and hold her and stroke her hair and tell her everything was alright. Right on the heels of this thought came the almost painful reiteration of the fact that at the present time, Darwin didn't even know where Remus was.   
  
She left in a rush and hurried back to the dorms. She didn't stop to talk to anyone and as soon as she was in bed, she broke into tears and eventually cried her self to sleep. Sometimes, life was just hard.  
  
  
  
Thankfully the next day was a Saturday which afforded everyone the opportunity to sleep in. After an uneasy sleep, Darwin awoke feeling groggy, her limbs felt heavy and she felt as though she hadn't even slept for even a moment. One second the room had been dark and quiet and the next it seemed the bright, almost-afternoon light was streaming in through the open windows, the sounds of her roommates awaking filling the air. Someone yawned, someone else stretched and the sound of their joints cracking seemed all too familiar and then there was a thud and a groan as someone else rolled out of bed onto the floor.  
  
  
  
"Good morning all." Holly yawned. Her hair was disheveled and her makeup from the day prior was now smudged all around her eyes.   
  
"Good morning this."Heather dead panned as she stumbled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom.   
  
"Well someone's grumpy." Rosemary commented as she turned on her other side and snuggled back under her covers.   
  
"Darwin, come on, get up." Lily said as she herself go out of bed and made her way over to the bathroom.   
  
"No." Darwin replied. "It's too early."  
  
"Come on." Lily whined.   
  
"What for? It's Saturday." Other then a pile of homework, Darwin had no other plans for that day and wanted to spend it doing as little as possible.  
  
  
  
"Please? The lads are having a practice right now and I want to go watch." Lily explained.   
  
"So go watch. You don't need me there." However, just as she was saying this, the thought occurred to her that Remus, as he was a member of the Gryffindor quidditch team, would most likely be present at the practice. Besides that, Lily had always been quite co-dependent and by now, Darwin was quite used to it.   
  
"Oh pretty please? " Lily begged. She leaned her head out of the bathroom, a tooth brush hanging from her mouth.   
  
Someone giggled.   
  
"She just wants to go ogle James!" Heather laughed and Lily threw a towel at her.  
  
  
  
"Shaddup."  
  
Darwin soon agreed and after having a quick shower, changing into some comfortable clothes, and stopping by the Great Hall to grab something to eat, she and Lily made their way down to the quidditch pitch.   
  
The practice wasn't anything special, and in Darwin's case, it was particularly disappointing as Remus was not in attendance. The shouts and instructions of the team's captain, Rob O'Shea, seemed to fall on deaf ears. O'Shea was Irish, from the Republic of Ireland not Northern Ireland, and very proud of it. He had a thick accent and a short temper and possessed an almost fanatical devotion to sport. He was tall and strong and was the team's other Beater in addition to Sirius. He had become captain when he was only a fourth year and was in a large way responsible for a lot of the team's success. He had them practice hard and often and he was very good at what he did. He, along with his best friend Stephen Gallagher, the dreamy also Irish Ravenclaw Chaser, showed the potential to go pro after they finished school.   
  
On this particular occasion, Rob was not impressed, not in the least. Things had gotten off to a bad start when he saw that Remus would be absent from practice and when neither Sirius nor James could offer an explanation, his mood worsened. When Lily and Darwin arrived, they heard Rob questioning Sirius and James about Remus's whereabouts. A look had passed between them and then James gave a meek little shrug of his shoulders.   
  
"Sorry mate, we don't know where he is." He said quietly. Darwin couldn't tell if James was lying or not because as the case would have it, James was an excellent liar.   
  
"How can you not know where he is?!" Rob shouted, his thick accent ever present. "You're his best mates, aren't you?"  
  
Sirius made a face and James hit him in the side with his elbow.   
  
"Sorry." Was all James could say. Darwin and Lily were sitting about ten feet away, but even from there, she could tell that the two were exhausted. Dark circles were under their eyes and they looked as though they hadn't slept in days. James's hair was a mess and Sirius had a far off, dazed look on his face. They were both leaning on their brooms for support, James looking like he might topple over any moment.   
  
"Right, well, let's start anyway."   
  
  
  
The practice got off to a slow start and it never really did get going. James and Sirius were nearly falling off their brooms with exhaustion, which of course made Rob furious and put the rest of the team into stitches. It seemed like nearly every time Sirius went to swing at a Bludger, he would miss it by a mile, and at one point, nearly whacked James square in the head, who of course didn't even notice his predicament and looked as though he was trying to find the most comfortable position in which to sleep on a broom stick.   
  
"You fecking eejits!" Rob yelled. "Are you after killing each other?!"   
  
"Sorry captain." They both yawned back. Neither looked like they cared either way at that moment.   
  
Rob put the team through some in-air exercises, dodging Bludgers, passing the Quaffle, that sort of thing, and then he put them through a more traditional work out on the ground, running laps around the pitch, doing sit-ups and such. However, the practice came to an end after James just flat out collapsed, face first, into the ground while doing push-ups. Someone tried poking him with a broom stick and someone else tried a foot in the side but neither way worked and James refused to budge. Rob left the field in a rush, very red in the face. The other members of the team shouted their thanks to James, slapped Sirius on the back and left the pitch earlier then expected.   
  
It was cold outside and Darwin wanted to return to the castle. She hadn't thought to wear a cloak and now here hands and feet were starting to suffer from the cold. She had momentarily thought about asking James where he had been last night, and perhaps telling him what had happened, or, at least, what she thought had happened, however she very quickly decided against it, considering the company she was keeping at the moment.   
  
Lily, on the other hand, showed no sign of wanting to return to the castle, and was of course amused by James's antics. As soon as it was certain that practice had ended for the day, she rushed down on to the pitch, giggling and calling to James. James, who was still lying face down in the field flopped over on to his back and then slowly sat up. He spotted Darwin and gave a goofy wave, which she returned. Sirius was standing nearby and for just a moment, their eyes met. She couldn't read his expression and was once again reminded of how much she missed him. She thought she might give a little wave, a smile, give him some sort of hint, but as soon as she thought of it, Sirius looked away, a grim look on his face.   
  
Well, she wasn't going to wait around. She turned quickly and made her way back to the castle. She trudged all the way up to Gryffindor tower, grabbed as many text books, quills and parchment as she could carry and then trudged back down to the library where she remained for the rest of the day. Sixth year really was a lot of work. She had an argumentative essay for History of Magic, a comparison essay for Potions, a test in Charms to study for and a presentation for Muggle Studies, all of which were due within the coming week.   
  
The Hogwarts library was very large, very extensive and very old. The atmosphere within seemed to absorb sound, something which Darwin doubted very much was a coincidence, and it smelt of dust and there was the ever present, minute sound of wood creaking. The library must have been one of the oddest shaped rooms in existence as it had a seemingly endless amount of corners and nooks. It was full not only with tall, dusty bookshelves, but also big plushy chairs and large wooden tables. Overall, it had a very cluttered appearance. The shelves were as full as possible, with some books laid sideways on top of the row. As well, everywhere one looked, there were stacks upon stacks of books, some were in constant use and others just gathered dust. Every student eventually found their own favorite nook within the library and frequented the place whenever they needed some quiet. For Darwin, it was on the second level, in a darker corner, hidden away from view by two rows of bookshelves which met at an angle. There was an old, but comfortable chair there and a worn down table. A small, oval shaped window was nearby which suited Darwin just fine.   
  
She plopped herself down and began her work. She quite enjoyed most of her schoolwork and loved the fact that she was learning something. Knowledge is power, after all. She started with the harder, less enjoyable assignments first, mainly Potions, and then continued from there. The library remained very quiet all day and before she knew it, it had grown very late. She had skipped both lunch and dinner and had been staring at the same page in her History of Magic text for the past ten minutes.. Her stomach grumbled but she didn't have an appetite. Her eyes were sore and her head ached. She felt extremely worn out but didn't feel like sleeping. She wanted to continue working but couldn't concentrate. She glanced around her. She couldn't see any other students, nor could she hear them. She knew it was late though. All the light hd faded outside and now the grounds were dark and covered with shadows. From this vantage point, the Forbidden Forest looked particularly foreboding.   
  
She gathered all her belongings and began on her way back to the common room. Her legs were cramped and her feet tingled as she walked. Her neck and back ached from leaning over a table all day, and she was hunched over from the weight of her bag, full with her books, as she walked. She passed a few students on her way, none of whom she recognized and who she forgot as soon as they were out of sight. The castle had not grown quiet for the night yet, and somewhere far off someone was laughing, somewhere close by a door closed with soft thud and somewhere up ahead something heavy fell to the floor.  
  
She reached the common room entrance and mumbled the password without being asked. The painting of the Fat Lady swung opened and she soundlessly climbed in. The common room was devoid of students, and as luck would have it, so was her dorm. She suddenly found herself in an awful mood and didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment. She carelessly dropped her books at the foot of her bed, changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, combed her hair and then climbed into bed.   
  
The problem was, she didn't feel like sleeping. She lay still, staring at the ceiling, just thinking. She thought of Remus, she thought of Sirius, she thought of times when she had been happier and missed them all. She thought of James, and smiled. She thought of her parents and wondered what they were doing. Random thoughts continued to run through her mind, and she was so absorbed in them, that she didn't even here them coming.  
  
Her roommates were noisy people, but it wasn't until Heather burst through the door, shouting something about how it was a shame wizards wore robes and not something more form fitting, that she noticed. She disinterestedly glanced in their direction and they each rambled off a quick hello. The room which had just prior been completely quiet and still was now buzzing with energy and activity. Darwin sat up in bed and pulled her knees to her chest.  
  
  
  
Lily was busy primping in front of the mirror, Rosemary was rummaging through her dresser, saying "I know it's here" and Heather was rambling on to no one in particular about all the things she was going to do over the Christmas holiday. Holly on the other hand plopped herself down on Darwin's bed and started removing her shoes and socks.   
  
"So, what's wrong with Remus?" She asked casually.   
  
At first, the question didn't even register. Darwin hadn't talked to anyone for the past couple of hours and she was very dazed. She blinked and she shifted her weight.  
  
"How do you mean?" She asked, truly puzzled. Darwin rarely discussed her relationship with Lily, her closet female friend, and Lily was tight-lipped about it when she did. There was no way Holly could be referring to Remus's absence as of late.   
  
"Oh, I thought you would know if anyone would. James wouldn't say a word." Holly said out loud to herself.   
  
"What do you mean?" Darwin asked, getting irritated.   
  
Holly turned to her and had a strange look on her face.   
  
"We just saw James and Remus coming into the common room. Remus looked like he was in bad shape. He was leaning so hard on James, it looked like he was really having trouble walking. I asked James what was wrong and he told me to bugger off." Holly gave a shrug of her shoulders. When Darwin didn't say anything she picked up and walked over to her own bed.   
  
There was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach and she couldn't stop biting her lip. Was Remus alright? What if something was really wrong? She scratched her head and continued to feel uneasy, but she didn't go to him. The idea that Sirius might be there, along with Remus's other roommates, made her stay. She wanted to talk to him, she wanted to see him privately, and the dorm was their domain and she couldn't expect privacy. It would be awkward and uncomfortable for both of them, she knew, and as curious as she was, she stayed where she was.   
  
One by one, her roommates crawled into bed, the lights were dimmed and quiet was restored. Eventually, she fell into an uneasy sleep where she was plagued by unpleasant dreams.   
  
A/N: I was SO gonna stop here!   
  
  
  
She was alone and it was painfully dark. They were on the edge of some deep abyss. She didn't recognize the place. There was a sense of urgency, she had to hurry, it would be too late soon. She saw him up ahead and began to run, but she couldn't move fast enough. Everything was going in slow motion. She reached Sirius just as he stepped off the edge. She grabbed for his hand and she was pulled to the ground. Sirius dangled over the edge of the dark chasm, his feet kicking, his grasp tight. 'Darwin, don't let go' he begged. She wanted to tell him that she wouldn't, but she couldn't speak. She could only stare into his face, which was bruised and dark.   
  
She clung to his hand, but he was slipping. Her heart was beating and she felt panic rise within her. There wasn't much time, she had to hurry.   
  
His hand began to slip. 'DARWIN NO!' he screamed, but it was too late. As Sirius fell he screamed and soon disappeared into the darkness. She was alone. 'Sirius, SIRIUS!' she whailed into the night. 'I'm sorry! Sirius! SIRIUS!!- -  
  
"- - - Sirius!!"Darwin awoke with a start. It was just dream. She realized she had said Sirius's name out loud and prayed she hadn't awoken any of her roommates.   
  
She was breathing hard and she felt sweaty and hot. She could feel that her face was flushed. She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest and waited for her breathing to slow down. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears and a chill ran down her spine.   
  
It had all seemed so real. Usually her dreams were just an odd jumble of the past day's events, they were never so vivid as this. She didn't care to analyze it, not now anyway.   
  
She glanced around the room. Everyone seemed to still be sleeping. She knew she wouldn't get back to sleep, the dream was still too vivid. As quietly as she could, she slipped out of bed. She felt little uncertain on her feet and suddenly very cold after leaving her warm covers behind. She had an idea.   
  
She crept out of the dorm and closed the door softly behind her. She made her way down the spiral staircase, whose creaks and groans seemed obscenely loud given the quiet atmosphere. She stepped down into the common room, which of course was empty, only to take few steps and begin climbing the other staircase. She soon came to the sixth year boys' dorm, feeling anxious and nervous.  
  
She gently pushed the door open and peeked inside. The room was a mess and faintly smelt of cologne and sweat. Now, she was pretty sure she knew which one was Remus's bed, she just prayed they didn't switch round for the hell of it. She deftly crossed the room, her hands knotted together. She reached what she hoped was Remus's bed, took a deep breath, and pulled back the hangings.   
  
The occupant stirred slightly, turned his head, and mumbled "What is it?"  
  
She could seem him take a moment to focus, he blinked a few times and then "Darwin?!"  
  
"Remus!"  
  
She slid under the covers next to him. He was warm and so were his covers and she was sorry to have brought cold feet and hands with her.   
  
Before she could say anything else, even offer an explanation, she felt his lips upon hers and was more then willing to let the issue stand for a moment. He wrapped his arms around her as his tongue slid into her mouth, sliding against hers in a maddeningly pleasing sensation. After a few moments of this, he placed a gentle kiss on her upper lip and then pulled his head back to look her in the eye.   
  
"What are you doing here?" His voice was soft and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. His hair was down and the effect was rather distracting. She gave him a sheepish smile.   
  
"I had a bad dream." She said shyly. She didn't feel childish or silly at all. She knew Remus would never judge her.   
  
"Aw, love." He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. His fingers wound themselves in her hair and for the first time that day, she felt content.   
  
She kissed his neck and ran her hand down his back. "I've missed you. "She whispered in his ear. "Where have you been?"  
  
"I haven't been well, that's all. I've been in bed for awhile. I just came back from the hospital wing." He replied, his breath tickling her ear.   
  
Maybe it was in the way he said it, or maybe it was the fact that it didn't correlate with what she had heard the night before, but Darwin wasn't sure if she believed him. She pulled her face back to consider him, and thought about saying something, but she decided against it. She was too happy to just be with him, she didn't want anything to spoil it.   
  
"Remus, you look so tired." She stroked the side of his face, his cheekbones very prominent in the moonlight. There were dark circles under his eyes and everything in his face just seemed to droop. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, it's nothing." He replied as he gently stroked her hand.   
  
For the moment, Darwin was willing to accept this. She snuggled down next to him, laying her head on his chest. She absent-mindedly ran her fingers along his side and she was very happy that Remus slept topless. He was lean and his skin was very pale. She could see goose bumps appearing all along his side. She knew it wasn't because he was uncomfortable or because he didn't like being touched, she knew it was simply something he had to get used to. When their relationship had first began, Remus had gotten embarrassed and uncomfortable even when it came to tame things, like holding hands. Physical contact had never been a big part of his life prior, and even though he didn't seem to mind it, it still proved to be something that had to be done gradually.   
  
"Remus?" She asked quietly.   
  
"Mmmm?"   
  
"Can I stay here with you tonight?"   
  
"Of course." He pulled the covers tighter about them, and within minutes Darwin could tell by his deep breathing that he hd fallen asleep. She too found that she was in fact quite tired and was soon asleep as well.   
  
A/N: I'm so sorry it took this long for this chapter to get posted! I've just been way too busy. This chapter's alright, I'm just a bit out of practice. Anyway, reviews are always welcome, until next time! 


	12. Sorry

I hate to say it, but this story is officially going on hiatus indefinitely. I really, really, REALLY wish I could've finished it (I had so many good ideas!) but with all my current, and future commitments, I just don't see it happening. I apologise to anyone who is disappointed by this news. I really am sorry! However...... if anyone is interested, the story is also up for adoption. I'd be willing to share my ideas for the plot etc.,etc., although I would not insist that they be used. The adopted author would have primary creative control, and I'd just act as a sort of advisor (ie. I get to read the chapters before they are posted and make suggestions). If anyone is interested, please e-mail me at yossarian_lives_3@hotmail.com (if possible, send me a sample of your other fanfics). I realize this is a half-assed way of finishing a fanfic, but I really don't see any other option. So again, anyone interested, please e-mail me! Sorry about all this! 


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve  
  
Being as it was Sunday, it seemed that everyone's internal alarm clock was either not set to go off until one in the afternoon or set to permanent snooze because it was nearing ten o'clock and the lazy, weekend atmosphere still permeated through the air. Darwin awoke but didn't feel as though she really had. She still felt tired, her eyes remained closed and she didn't move. Her breathing remained deep and steady and her limbs felt heavy.  
  
She flipped on to her other side, facing Remus, and snuggled up against his side. She felt his arm loosely wrap around her and the smile that came to her face couldn't be stopped. The events of the previous night were still fresh in her mind, and perhaps it was the fact that she just couldn't persuade herself to stop thinking about them that convinced her that Remus wasn't being quite truthful. It just seemed so fabricated. He just up and disappeared, while no one at all would say where he'd gone, and then came back and acted like it was nothing. After overhearing James, Peter and Sirius talking in that out-of-the-way classroom, she had absolutely no doubts that they were hiding something from her.  
  
That being said, she was also just as willing to believe that Remus had a right to his privacy. If he deemed it appropriate to tell her something, then she was sure he would. Other then that, she would resign herself to asking the odd question, but refused to pry.  
  
She opened her eyes just slightly. Even though the hangings were closed, light still filtered in through the fabric, creating patches of light over them both. If felt so safe and warm in that little space. Darwin felt like she could forget about the rest of the world and it's problems so long as she could stay there with Remus, snuggled warmly under the blankets, resting on his chest. She glanced up at him and had to smile again. The morning light illuminated his pale features in a way that made him look almost ethereal. His high cheekbones were even more pronounced and his mess of brown-blonde chin length hair rested about his head like a halo. Of course, she would never tell him that. It would embarrass him too much.  
  
She gave a little giggle at this and then pulled herself closer to him, resting in the crook of his shoulder and his neck. She nuzzled the skin there with her nose and then kissed it gently. At first he gave no response, but after a moment of gently kissing and sucking, she felt his arm tighten about her, bringing her even closer. She ran her free hand down his chest, coming to a stop at his stomach were her fingers danced in little circles upon his skin.  
  
She watched his face closely. It was fascinating. For someone so attractive, Remus had hardly any experience at all. Although, Darwin couldn't say much more for herself, it was clear that Remus was much more driven by sex then she was and arousal in him was always much more obvious. His lips parted slightly and his eyes opened just a crack. His sleepy eyes rolled to regard her with a look of pure want. At this, she decided to keep going. She kissed up and down his neck, stopping to suck on his ear lobe and the nape of his neck. She could hear his breathing quicken while he made a few small noises in his throat.  
  
His hand deftly slide up her side and came to rest on her breast. He didn't grab, instead, his hand remained perfectly still, just lightly resting there. Darwin got the impression that he was too shy to try anything else. Just as Darwin was slowly beginning to unbutton his shirt, James had to interrupt.  
  
"Morning sunshine!-----holy shit."  
  
"James!" Darwin exclaimed, truly surprised.  
  
In one swift motion James had opened the hangings around Remus's bed, only to close them just as quickly. She could hear him shuffle off to the other side of the room as she and Remus immediately stopped what they were doing. Darwin could feel herself slightly blushing and looking to Remus, she found that he looked quite perplexed.  
  
"Is that Darwin?" She heard Sirius ask and let out of sigh of frustration. Nothing good could come of this.  
  
"......no." James replied.  
  
"I think it was." Sirius nearly growled.  
  
"........no?" James tried again.  
  
There was a moment's pause and Darwin could feel her stomach tightening into a knot. What was he going to do? What would he say when he say them lying there together? Without even thinking about it, Darwin clasped Remus's hand in hers, winding her fingers tightly.  
  
"I think you're just imagining things, mate. Go back to sleep." James suggested. Unfortunately, James's powers of persuasion only worked on those who weren't exposed to them 24/7, and so Sirius was quite immune.  
  
Darwin heard heavy foot steps crossing the room and all she could do was hope for the best. It wasn't as if she could run. She glanced to Remus and gave him a weak smile. He returned the smile and gave her a reassuring little hug.  
  
"No! Sirius, stop! They-re–they're naked!" James called after him. Not surprisingly, that was quite the wrong thing to say.  
  
"WHAT?!"Sirius yelled. Darwin heard his footsteps come to an abrupt stop in the middle of the room. She could just see him through a small crack in between the bed hangings. His arms were taunt at his sides and he was breathing very fast. His face was slightly red and his entire body was tense. In spite of herself, Darwin began to feel a little worried, not only for her, but for Remus as well.  
  
Even though she knew that technically, this was none of his business and that in reality what he was doing was unfair, she just couldn't quite bring herself to believe it. Perhaps it was because she had known him for so long and so well that he had a sort of authority that permeated through all of her affairs. He had always played the role of older brother and protector and up until this point, she had more or less appreciated it. It only seemed to be the natural order of things that that authority would apply even now, when it was unwanted.  
Darwin swallowed hard as she saw Sirius take the last few steps between him and the bed. Without pretense he gruffly grabbed the fabric before him and threw it back. If he was at all relieved to see that she and Remus were, in fact, fully clothed, he didn't show it.  
  
His face was contorted in a horrid expression of anger, and he had gone even more red in the face. For a moment, he said nothing, only glared at Darwin as if she had committed the gravest of sins. For her part, Darwin stood her ground and glared right back. This was none of his business. If she chose to spend the night with Remus, so be it. He would just have to accept it. At least, that's what she kept telling herself. Unfortunately for Remus, he, along with James, was left as an awkward spectator.  
  
"What are you doing here?"He spat.  
  
At first, Darwin couldn't even respond. The edge in his voice had been razor sharp. He was furious and Darwin had very little experiencing of dealing with him when he was in this state. She knew he had a temper, but, as was usually on the case, she would soothe him and tell him to calm down, not be on the receiving end of it.  
  
Darwin cleared her throat and was prepared to give it her best shot. He was quite intimidating, after all.  
  
"That," She began coldly, "Is none of your business."  
  
"None of my business?"He repeated, his anger bubbling to the surface.  
  
"Yes. You heard right. None of your business." Darwin told him, her eyes never leaving his, as she deftly crawled out of the bed.  
  
"I hardly think so. Darwin, you shouldn't have come here." He said sternly, taking a step closer to her.  
  
"Who are you to say what I should and shouldn't do. You aren't my father." She said heatedly.  
  
"If your father knew, he wouldn't approve. Darwin, you can't do this." He growled.  
  
"I'll do whatever I damn well please!"She nearly screamed. Sometimes, it all just got too much. She had been protected by Sirius in some way or another for most of her life, and at that moment, that protection just felt stifling.  
  
"How can you talk to me like that? To me?! Over him?" He shouted back. This time it was Darwin who took a step closer.  
  
"Sirius, right now, you're acting like the world's biggest prick. It's more then you deserve. Leave Remus out of this. He's better then you'll ever be." She said lowly. They're faces were inches apart now. She could see the sweat gathering on his brow. Right then, she wanted to punch him in the face and make him bleed. The nerve! She clenched her hands in fists at her sides and she could feel herself shaking. She bit her bottom lip as her breath came in short, heavy gasps.  
  
At her last comment, she saw his face twitch and his arms tense up. She didn't care how angry she made him, in her opinion, he deserved it. Somewhere, from the corner of her eye, Darwin noticed Peter meekly crawl out of bed to observe the unfolding scene. All things considered, it was probably quite a strange sight for him to wake up to.  
"Darwin, you wouldn't say that if you knew---" He began, but Darwin didn't let him finish.  
"Knew what!? That you're a self-centered, egotistical jackass?" She shot back.  
  
He didn't say anything at first and a look of hurt momentarily came t his face. It was gone in a second, only to be replaced with an even deeper anger.  
  
"Darwin I've never done anything but care for you." Sirius said in a very low, deliberate tone.  
  
"Yeah? Well, you can stop caring for me now. Sirius, I just want you out of my life." She replied harshly. She was quite surprised to find that her eyes were wet and throat was sore.  
  
Sirius's eyes had gone red and some of his anger seemed to have dissipated.  
  
"Darwin, you're acting like a little spoiled bit--"Darwin could see the last word forming on his lips and was fully prepared to tear his hair out, except at that exact moment, Sloan Chapman, the Ravenclaw friend of Lily and Darwin and their roommate, Holly, came bustling into the room.  
  
In an instant, everyone's attention was immediately focused on the two new arrivals, who oddly seemed like intruders to the fairly private scene.  
  
"Something's happened." Sloan panted. Her eyes were wide and her faced was flushed. It was quite apparent that she and Holly had run to the boys' dormitory from a distant location.  
  
Holly was doubled over, holding her stomach, her eyes wild, her hair a tangled mess, and a panicked look on her face. Sloan took a few tentative steps forward, for the first time realizing that perhaps she should've knocked. She glanced around the room, at the no doubt dubious looks of it's occupants, and gave a sheepish grin.  
  
Overall, she was a completely mediocre and uninteresting person except for the fact that she appeared to own the largest collection of accessories throughout the entire castle. She had wrapped a colourful purple and blue scarf about her neck, a pink plastic flower rested in her hair, every one of her fingers was adorned with a ring, her shoes didn't match in a festive sort of way, and her wrists were loaded down with a vast assortment of bangles and beaded bracelets that clanked as she walked.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt, but something's happened." She repeated, still not having fully caught her breath yet.  
In addition to owning an inordinately large amount of decorative items, Sloan was also a walking conduit for gossip. She never ceased talking and if ever she heard, or knew, anything that anyone else might find even remotely interesting, you could be sure that everyone would sooner or later hear about it.  
  
"Uh, ladies? Can it wait. This isn't the best time." James started. Darwin and Sirius had returned to staring each other down, and for the moment, Darwin didn't care what Sloan had to say.  
  
"We're real sorry James, but it can't wait." Holly said from her spot near the door. She seemed to have caught her breath and now her hands were planted firmly on her hips. "A whole group of students have been injured." She said ominously.  
  
"What? Injured?" James said, the smirk evident in his voice. "Like, they all fell out of the same tree or something?"  
  
"No , James. They were attacked."Holly replied uneasily. This then set of a whole string of questions which were all asked at the same time and none of which could be answered properly because they could not be heard.  
  
"- - -attacked?"  
  
"- - it happen?"  
  
"- - they okay or- -"  
  
Darwin forgot about Sirius for the moment, and instead looked frantically around. Something about this just hit too close to home.  
  
"Look, we don't know much. We only happened to be walking past the Hospital Wing when the students were brought in. It happened when they were in Hogsmeade this morning." Sloan supplied  
  
Darwin could already hear Sloan embellishing this story later on and was glad that she had heard it relatively first hand.  
"Do you know who got hurt?" Darwin asked, stepping away from Sirius and toward Sloan.  
  
"We don't know who they were for sure, but there's already a rumor going around that they were all Muggle born." At this Darwin felt a strange lump for in her throat and her stomach felt queasy. She was Muggle born. Of course for now though, that was just a rumor, and she willed herself to ignore the implications of it if it were found to be true.  
  
What happened remained to Darwin as a blur. The stating of the rumor that the students who were attacked were all Muggle born was followed by several quick, nervous conversations that all occurred at the same time. Darwin wrapped her arms about herself and kept her eyes on the floor. She didn't want to think about it now. Her hands still shook from her argument with Sirius and felt a little dizzy. Soon, people began to clear out of the dormitory and Darwin found that Remus had wrapped his arms about her and was leading her down to the common room.  
  
When they arrived there, despite the early weekend hour, they found it buzzing with activity. Apparently, good news travels fast. It was evident that everyone was talking about the attack and those who didn't know about it were quickly informed and drawn into the discussions. Through the great gossip-network that existed between the houses, it was discovered that all those students who had been attacked were Muggle born. The veracity of this claim, however, rested on nothing more reliable then the testimony of "friends of friends" of the victims and so still, Darwin willed herself not to get too worried.  
  
This didn't seem to deter anyone from talking about it though, and so for the next few hours, Darwin sat dejectedly in a group of her closest friends, listening to them consider and reconsider who might be behind the attack. After a little while, Sloan clearly felt they need to spread her news to a new group of people and so headed back to her own common room, while Holly soundlessly disappeared, only to be replaced by Lily moments later. Early on, groups of students had ventured out into the castle, in search of more information, but they were soon turned back to their common rooms but irritated prefects. So, this left the entire discussion up to pure speculation.  
  
"I bet the Syltherins had something to do with this." Sirius said resentfully from his chair near the book shelf in the corner.  
  
There was a soft round of sounds of agreement from the people there, which was only interrupted by Lily.  
  
"Does that really makes sense though?" She asked. "I mean sure, they're mean and we don't like them and we'd like to beat them at Quidditch, but does that really make them the type attack other students?" Lily usually had very little problem being unbiased and more or less played the voice of reason in the group.  
  
"I have to agree with Lily. We know they're prats, but come on, I doubt they'd try and pull something like this." Remus said from his spot on one of the plushy couches next to Darwin. Darwin, for her part, was only idling listening and had stopped participating in the discussion a long time ago.  
  
"But so many of them have parents that are associated with the Death Eaters." Peter piped up. Peter, of all of them, was on the friendliest terms with the Syltherins and perhaps his willingness to believe them had something to do with the attack was a clear implication. "Geoffrey tells me about it all the time." Peter finished with a odd quirk of his head, referring to his friend who resided in the Slytherin House.  
  
"That's all just speculation." Remus retorted.  
  
"But still," Sirius began, leaning forward in his chair. "From the sounds of it, it's like the attackers knew to go specifically for the Muggle born students. Last time I checked, there aren't any all Muggle-born clubs at this school which means there must have been some purebloods with them. Only someone who's knows the student population of this school well could have managed that."  
  
"Maybe it's just a coincidence?" Remus asked tentatively. Sirius shot him an angry look that spoke volumes and neither said anything else.  
  
While this was going on, Darwin fiddled with the fraying edge of her robes, a jumble of thoughts running through her head. It was actually a few moments before the memory of her run in with Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy was made relevant in her mind to the current situation.  
  
"No."She said softy. She could feel everyone's eyes turn to her, but she kept her attention to on the frayed sleeve of her robe.  
  
"No what?" James asked.  
  
"No, it's not a coincidence." Her voice remained low as mind slowly mulled over the thoughts in her head. "Just the other day, I went up to the owlery to send a letter to my parents and I ran into Snape and Malfoy there."She could tell she had everyone's attention and it made her feel decidedly uncomfortable.  
  
"Malfoy knew where I was born and the name of both my parents. He knew they were Muggles and," She stopped for a second to let out a shaky sigh. "He called me a Mudblood."  
  
"Why that little bastard." She heard Remus growl under his breath. Darwin still remained indifferent to the scene, but was comforted when she felt Remus wrap his about her.  
  
"Well, that settles it then, doesn't it?" Peter said very quickly.  
  
"I think I have to agree. Darwin's barely said two words to Malfoy the whole time we've been at school. There's no way he could know all of that just by association." James said reluctantly. His usually high spirits were suddenly dampened. This seemed to take a little bit of joy out of everyone present.  
  
"Is there a way we can prove it though? It's one thing for all us to agree that they had something to do with this, it's quite another to actually have proof." Lily stated, again being very reasonable.  
  
"We have to get into their common room." James said, a hint of adventure in his voice. "From there, we can get into their dorms. If there's any evidence to be found, it's likely to be stowed away somewhere in there."  
  
This seemed to be what everyone one was thinking because there were no protests. Everyone set about immediately on trying to figure out the best way to achieve this.  
  
"Peter, have you been in their common room before?" Sirius asked, leaning back in his chair again and scratching his forearm. Darwin met his eyes for a moment, but then quickly turned away, looking to Remus instead. If Sirius responded to this action at all, Darwin was oblivious to it.  
  
"Yes, but I don't know the password." He said regretfully.  
  
"But you do know where their common room is?" Sirius pressed.  
  
"Yes. Sure, I know where it is."  
  
"Perfect. We should have no problem getting their password then."  
  
Peter's face looked momentarily puzzled, but the look vanished after a few seconds. Lily and Darwin though, were still quite confused.  
  
"How are you going to get the password?" Lily asked James.  
  
"I'm going to wait outside their common room until I hear one of them say it." James replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"But, won't they see and then not say the password?" Lily asked, very slowly.  
  
"They won't see me." James replied confidently.  
  
".......okay." Lily finished, looking more confused then she had looked when she first started asking the question. James had a way about him though. If he didn't want to tell you something, he wasn't going to tell you, or worse yet, he would make you believe something totally wrong and asinine and so, after years of experience, they all had learned to just take what James said at face value.  
  
"But say we do get their password, what then? We can hardly just stroll into their common room. There's bound to be at least a few students there at any given time throughout the day." Darwin stated, coming out of her cocoon of indifference. Even though the plan didn't make a whole lot of logical sense, it was enticing, none the less.  
  
"Easy." James replied, after thinking for a moment. "We'll go in this Friday when we have a match against them. The place is bound to be deserted."  
  
This presented only one problem.  
  
"But James," Lily started, scratching her head. "How will you be able to sneak into their common room while you're playing Quidditch?"  
  
Darwin could hear the answer before James even said it.  
  
"Simple. I'm not going into their common room. Neither is Sirius or Remus. You are."  
  
Lily looked momentarily shocked, and then her face transformed into an absolute mask of skepticism.  
  
"Me? I hardly think I'm capable." For Darwin, the sentiment was mutual.  
  
"I'll go with you." Darwin told her, straitening her back, restlessly cracking the knuckles of her left hand. She somehow felt obligated that she should go. After all, it was because of her that everyone was now convinced that the Slytherins, or at least some of them, had played a vital role in the attack.  
Both Remus and Sirius quickly looked to her, but it was Remus who voiced their clearly mutual concern.  
  
"Are you sure? It could be, well, a little dangerous." Remus said softly. If Lily was offended that no one had afforded her the same concern, she didn't show it. She was too busy laughing at something that James was telling her.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll be fine." She replied with a weak little smile.  
  
A/N: I really can't explain why I've started writing this again. I'm not even sure if it's a phase that will last. It's probably pretty clear that I've almost completely lost the thread of this story and so if some parts don't make any sense, please just let me know. But, anyway, um, yeah. So. Enjoy, if you can ;-). 


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